Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry JUNE 2018

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 2

About this Report

This report was commissioned by Fashion for Good to accelerate the adoption of new

technologies that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals by:

• Creating the language to facilitate conversations about textile

and apparel safer chemistry innovation

• Bridging the gap between sustainability in a broad sense and the detailed

safer chemistry challenges of the textile and apparel industry

• Identifying the main safer chemistry innovation areas based on the

functions delivered by the chemicals of concern, and showcasing

innovative companies active within each innovation area.

About Safer Made

Safer Made is a venture capital fund that invests in safer products and technologies. Our

investment premise is that people prefer safer products. The technologies we invest in

enable brands and retailers to tell a differentiated story of safety and sustainability that

resonates with consumers. Safer Made works with brand manufacturers and retailers

that lead in safety and sustainability to invest in technologies that address their safer

chemistry needs. Safer Made’s General Partners are Adrian Horotan and Marty Mulvihill.

AUTHORS

MARTY IS A GENERAL PARTNER AT SAFER MADE. Before Safer Made, Marty started and ran the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry. He has worked with many Fortune 500 companies to help them replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives. Marty has a PhD in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, and has done post-doctoral work at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. He lives in Oakland, California.

ADRIAN IS A GENERAL PARTNER AT SAFER MADE. Before Safer Made, Adrian made venture investments with Elm Street Ventures, the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute Innovation Fund, Connecticut Innovations, and Launch Capital. Before working in venture finance, Adrian worked for 10 years in corporate finance and investment banking. Adrian has a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale and an MBA from INSEAD, France. Adrian lives near New Haven, Connecticut.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 3

Acknowledgements

Safer Made would like to thank all of the people

who made this report possible. We would like to

acknowledge Fashion for Good for funding and the

C&A Foundation for initiating this report in order to

support the industry’s alignment on a safer chemistry

innovation agenda. We are grateful to all the brands,

supply chain partners and other collaborators who

have taken the time to speak to us and who continue

to share insights and connections to interesting new

companies including: Megan McGill, Scott Leonard,

Tom Flicker, Phil Graves, Bart Sights, Una Murphy, Scott

Echols, Robert Buck, Linda Gallegos, Michael Kabori,

Eva van der Brugge, Karine Basso, Rogier van Mazijk,

Martin Lichtenthaler, Cyrus Wadia, Scott O. Seydel, Jr.,

Nate Sponsler, Brandon Boyd, Kevin Myette, John

Frazier, Bernhard Kiehl, Milos Ribic, Libby Sommers,

Liesl Truscott, Shona Quinn, Roland Seydel, Maryam

Mazloumpour, Genna Heath, Yogendra Dandapure,

Hiam Hindi, Avery Lindeman, Claudia Richardson

and Karla Mora.

We would like to thank Beth Jensen, Jessie Curry

and the Chemicals Management Working Group at

the Outdoor Industry Association for hosting the

Sustainability Convergence Event at the Outdoor

Retailer Show. Thank you also to all the panelists,

startups and participants whose ideas helped

shape this report.

We would also like to thank Anastasia O’Rourke,

Nilofar Gardezi and Amanda Cattermole who all

provided feedback throughout the process of

drafting this report. Finally, a special thanks to Tonja

Larson and Ladywithafan Design for her assistance

with layout and design and to Kristin Lennert Murra

for her help with editing.

About Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good is a global initiative to make all fashion good. It is a global platform for

innovation, made possible through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to

the entire apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers,

non-profit organizations, innovators and funders.

At the core of Fashion for Good is its innovation platform. Fashion for Good’s Plug and Play

Accelerator gives promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they need

in order to grow. The Scaling Program supports innovations that have passed the proof-of-

concept phase, with a dedicated team that offers bespoke support and access to expertise,

customers and capital. Finally, the Good Fashion Fund (in development) will catalyze access

to finance where this is required to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods.

Additionally, Fashion for Good acts as a convener for change. From its first hub in Amsterdam,

it houses a Circular Apparel Community co-working space; creates open-source resources

like its Good Fashion Guide; and welcomes visitors to join a collective movement to make

fashion a force for good.

Fashion for Good was launched in 2017 with C&A Foundation as a founding partner. Its

programs are supported by corporate partners Adidas, C&A, Galeries Lafayette Group,

Kering, Target and Zalando, as well as organizations including the Cradle to Cradle

Products Innovation Institute, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, IDH—the Sustainable

Trade Initiative, Impact Hub Amsterdam, McDonough Innovation, Plug and Play and the

Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 4

Safer Chemistry Drivers: Transparency, Awareness, and Circularity ............................................. p. 9

The Call for TransparencyIncreasing AwarenessCircular Economy

What Brands and Retailers Do About Advancing Safer Chemistry ................................................................ p. 17

What Makes Some Chemicals Hazardous?Creating and Applying Restricted Substance Lists (M/RSLs)Plastic Pollution in the Textile and Apparel Industry

Innovation Areas in Safer Chemistry and Materials .................... p. 28

The Innovation Landscape

INNOVATION AREA #1: New Materials ...................................................................... p. 31 Synthetic Fibers Leather Alternatives Cellulosic Fibers

INNOVATION AREA #2: New Safer Chemistries ................................................... p. 38 Safer Finishing Chemistries Bio-based Dyes

INNOVATION AREA #3: Waterless Processing .....................................................p. 42 Waterless Dying Waterless Finishing

Innovation Area #4: Fiber Recycling ........................................................................ p. 44 Recycled Cotton Recycled Polyester Recycled Nylon Recycling Fiber Blends

INNOVATION AREA # 5: Information Systems .....................................................p. 47 that Support Supply Chain and Chemicals Management Chemicals Management Systems Traceability Systems

Accelerating the Adoption of Safer Chemistry Innovation ......p. 50

M/RSLs and Supply Chain ManagementImplementing Safer Chemistry Tools at the Design PhaseParticipating in the Innovation Ecosystem

Conclusions ................................................................................................................. p. 58

Table Of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... p. 5

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

SECTION 5

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 5

Executive Summary

Few people know about the complex chemistry embedded in our clothes, and the

hazardous nature of some of the chemicals involved. As investors in safer chemistry

and materials, we often find ourselves describing the opportunity to people who are not

familiar with the need for safer chemicals. Finding the right level for this conversation

is important. Talking about specific chemicals is often too detailed. Talking about

sustainability and market needs in high-level terms fails to grasp what the innovation

opportunity is about.

This report provides an overview of the safer chemistry innovation opportunity in the

textile and apparel sector. We describe key drivers, evaluate the role different chemicals

of concern have in the production of textiles and apparel, identify five key areas of

innovation, and provide insights to accelerate the adoption of new technologies that

reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals.

Safer Made invests in companies and technologies that bring safer products to market.

We come across new technologies and materials every day. Having a clear picture of

what the industry needs, what the big impacts are, and how these new technologies and

materials can address them gives us an indication of the potential value creation, and

allows us to compare new technologies and materials with other approaches addressing

the same challenges.

Eliminating hazardous chemicals from the textile and apparel industry requires action

from a broad group of actors, both within and outside the industry. Articulating the

safer chemistry innovation opportunity helps conversations among industry actors such

as brands, retailers, chemical suppliers and mills. A clear picture of the safer chemistry

innovation need would also help innovators attract financial support including investment

capital, and would help actors outside the industry, such as investors, governments and

the advocacy community, grasp the opportunity and get involved.

Chemicals deliver certain functions to final garments. For example, fluorocarbon

chemicals make rain jackets water repellent. Other chemicals are used to deliver functions

to the manufacturing process; for example, sizing agents reduce the abrasiveness of

yarns during fabric construction. Hazardous chemicals often end up discharged into the

environment, and high-profile examples of river and surface water pollution have been

a liability for the sector. Brands are realizing that in the eyes of consumers they have a

responsibility for both the chemicals on their garments and the process chemicals that

are used in their manufacturing.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 6

The textile and apparel industry is facing increased pressure and scrutiny from consumers,

advocacy groups and regulatory agencies to address the use of hazardous chemicals.

They are being called to address labor and human rights concerns in their supply chain—

but this is not the subject of this report.

So far, leading global brands have been addressing their supply chain liabilities with regards

to the use of potentially hazardous chemicals by adopting proactive policies such as:

1) Increasing transparency

Gather and provide information about chemicals and materials used in their products

and manufacturing processes.

2) Reducing the use of hazardous chemicals

Create Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs) and Manufacturing Restricted Substance Lists

(M/RSLs) as tools to work with their supply chain partners to manage the chemicals used

in both their products and manufacturing processes.

In addition to transparency and lists of restricted chemicals, which we regard as

established policies, some brands have taken their chemicals management further by:

i) Implementing safer chemistry tools at the design phase

Adopt safer chemistry and circular economy concepts at the product

design stage.

ii) Telling the story

Incorporate their work on safer materials into their brand story, demonstrate

leadership, differentiate, and create a positive vision for the future.

3) Partnering with innovators and participate in the innovation ecosystem

Develop capabilities and structures to collaborate with innovators, and also become

active participants in the innovation ecosystem.

In this report we evaluate the role of different chemicals of concern in the production of

textiles, apparel and footwear, and provide insights to accelerate the adoption of new

technologies that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals.

A key finding is the map we created of the five key innovation areas for safer chemistry

in textiles and apparel, shown in Figure 1 (next page).

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 7

The report is organized as follows:

In Section 1 we describe the main drivers of safer chemistry and materials adoption in the

textile and apparel space with emphasis on transparency, consumer awareness and circularity.

In Section 2 we identify the classes of chemicals of concern found in the most common industry

M/RSLs* and outline the functionality of different classes and the stage of the supply chain they

are used in.

In Section 3 we define the “Innovation Areas” in textile and apparel that describe the

industry’s innovation needs to help brands, suppliers, innovators, investors and startup

companies collaborate to bring safer chemistry innovation to commercial reality.

In Section 4 we offer some insights into strategies brands and retailers can use to accelerate

the adoption of new, safer chemistry technologies.

In Section 5 we provide some final thoughts.

NEW MATERIALS

Synthetic Fibers

Cellulosic Fibers

Leather Alternatives

NEW SAFER CHEMISTRIES

Safer Finishing Chemistries

Bio Based Dyes

WATERLESS PROCESSING

Waterless Dyeing Processes

Waterless Finishing Processes

FIBER RECYCLING

Cotton

Polyester

Blends

Nylon

SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Chemicals Management Information Systems

Traceability Systems

FIGURE 1

Safer Chemistry Innovation Areas and Sub-Areas Source: Safer Made, 2018

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* Within the textile, apparel and footwear industry restricted substance lists (RSLs) address chemicals potentially found in the finished article, while manufacturing restricted substance lists (MRSLs) address chemicals used during the manufacturing process. Most companies are adopting both RSLs and MRSLs and they both signal the need for safer chemistry so we use M/RSLs to refer to both types of lists throughout the report.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 8

We expect this report to stimulate conversations and catalyze innovation that brings

safer and more sustainable textiles and apparel to market.

Throughout this report we use the term “textile industry” to mean the sector of economic

activity concerned with the production of fibers, yarns and fabrics which are then used for

a wide variety of applications. We use the term “apparel industry” to mean the sector of

economic activity concerned with the production of apparel, clothing and garments. The

apparel industry is downstream from the textile industry, but we use the term “textile and

apparel industry” to mean the combination of both the textile and the apparel sectors.

SECTION 1

Safer Chemistry Drivers: Transparency, Awareness and Circularity

p. 9

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 10

Introduction to Safer Chemistry

Before the industrial revolution, people used naturally occurring materials such as natural

fibers, wood, clay, sand, stone and iron ore—and did not alter them very much. Most of

the materials people used for textiles and apparel were safe: clothes made of cotton,

hemp, linen, wool and animal skins were made without the use of chemical treatments.

The industrial revolution brought to the world tens of thousands of new chemicals, mostly

without considering their potential harmful effects on human health and the natural world.

The textile sector was one of the first industries to embrace the synthetic chemistry

revolution which could produce high-performance dyes at a much lower cost than natural

dyes.1 We are still catching up with the potential impacts of new chemicals and materials.

Initially most man-made new chemicals were deemed safe, including those used for

textile apparel, under a default assumption that these new chemicals are more or less

similar to the naturally occurring materials people used before the industrial revolution.

But evidence has been accumulating that some of these chemicals are harmful to human

health and to the natural world.

Chemical pollution has more recently been linked to increases in chronic health conditions

including infertility, asthma, obesity, cancer and neurodevelopmental diseases. For example,

a recent study published in 2017 by The Lancet’s Commission on pollution and health found

that pollution is the world’s greatest environmental threat to health. Diseases caused by

pollution were responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths in 2015—16% of

all deaths worldwide—three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

combined, and 15 times more than from wars and other forms of violence.2

People’s awareness and attitude toward chemical safety has changed. The 1960s were

a turning point for the public perception of chemicals, and since then work to remove

many of the most harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury or asbestos from our

products has progressed. However, many hazardous chemicals are still used. Recent

examples include fluorocarbon chemicals in textiles and food contact packaging;

People’s awareness and attitude toward chemical safety has changed.

1 Anthony S. Travis (1990). “Perkin’s Mauve: Ancestor of the Organic Chemical Industry”. Technology and Culture. 31 (1): 51–82. DOI: doi.org /10.2307/3105760

2 Philip J Landrigan, et. al. (2018) “The Lancet Commission on pollution and health”. The Lancet, 391 (10119): 462–512. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32345-0

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 11

Bisphenol A, Bisphenol S and other endocrine disrupting compounds in baby bottles

and canned food; volatile chemicals in paints and coatings; formaldehyde in textiles,

building products and baby shampoo. These hazardous chemicals and others can be

removed or reduced by developing safer chemistry.

40% of American adults... “are socially responsible, driven to protect the environment and are avid users of green products.”

People want to live healthier and more secure lives, and demand products that are safe

for their families and the natural world. According to the Natural Marketing Institute, a

marketing research organization, in 2008 about 40% of American adults were either

consumers who “are socially responsible, driven to protect the environment and are

avid users of green products. They take action to ensure personal and planetary health

and influence others to do the same;” or they are consumers who “make most purchase

decisions based on benefits to their personal health.”3

Many consumers become sensitized to chemical and material safety issues when they

have children. This is a time of significant lifestyle changes when people are open to new

information, switching brands and creating new habits. This is also a time when many

people attain relatively high purchasing power and make other significant life decisions,

such as buying a house.

Once aware of the hazardous chemicals issue, people approach their purchasing

decisions with increasing scrutiny. Many read labels and seek safer products. Consumers

usually start with food, move to personal care products and then to other products they

bring into their homes or have on their body, including apparel, packaging, furniture and

building products.

Consumers enjoy more choices and power than ever before, and they are looking for

brands and products that reflect their values. Brands need to be proactive in their

management of the chemicals and materials incorporated in their products or used in

their manufacturing processes, or they risk losing people’s trust.

3 Connecting Values with Consumers, 2008. LOHAS Journal. The Natural Marketing Institute.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 12

Retailers are well positioned to understand the needs of their consumers. In 2017 we saw

new or updated chemical policies from Target,4 Walmart,5 CVS,6 Costco,7 Home Depot8

and Best Buy.9 These chemicals management policies usually ban certain chemicals; set

goals and targets for other chemicals; and hold the retailers and their suppliers to higher

transparency standards. For example, Jennifer Silberman, Chief Sustainability Officer at

Target, shared details when announcing Target’s renewed chemicals policy in 2017.

Brands and retailers within the apparel industry have supported greater chemical oversight

through both the adoption of restricted substance lists and industry wide support for voluntary

chemical management and tracking systems. Organizations including Zero Discharge of

Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), American Apparel

and Footwear Association (AAFA), AFIRM group and Cradle to Cradle (C2C), provide

important resources for brands to develop their chemical management policies.

Many brands supplement participation and adoption of industry standards with chemical

management and sustainability programs that highlight the ways they are leading in

sustainability. For example, Levi’s is a member of AFIRM, AAFA, ZDHC and SAC, and they

have developed their own approach to chemicals management that has been a catalyst

for adopting new technologies, such as a new water and chemical-free finishing process.10

Another example is Patagonia, a brand that supports innovation through their Tin Shed

Ventures arm and has backed companies like Beyond Surface Technologies that makes

safe, bio-based finishing chemistries. Other examples are H&M supporting the Global

Change Award, and the C&A Foundation supporting Fashion for Good, an accelerator for

sustainable innovation in the apparel supply chain. The Boston Consulting Group has worked

with the Global Fashion Agenda to summarize how brands have been working toward more

“Over the next three to five years Target aims to achieve transparency of all product ingredients, remove several classes of chemicals of concern from beauty, baby, and other formulated household products, remove fluorinated chemicals and flame retardants from textile products.

Our chemical strategy will be one of the most comprehensive in the U.S. retail industry, including all Target-owned and national brand products and operations, not just formulated products. It’s ambitious, but using our size, scale and expertise, we think we’ll be able to make significant progress.

We hope our robust approach will accelerate similar efforts across the industry. Ultimately, we want to bring all stakeholders together to innovate and champion a consistent, industry-wide approach to greener chemistry.”

4 Target: corporate.target.com/article/2017/01/chemical-policy-and-goals (retrieved 4/11/2018)5 Walmart: walmartsustainabilityhub.com/sustainable-chemistry (retrieved 4/11/2018)6 CVS: cvshealth.com/social-responsibility/corporate-social-responsibility/planet-in-balance-environmental-sustainability/removing-chemicals-of-consumer-concern (retrieved 4/11/2018)

7 Costco: costco.com/sustainability-environment.html (retrieved 4/11/2018)8 Home Depot: corporate.homedepot.com/sites/default/files/image_gallery/PDFs/Chemical%20Strategy%2010_2017.pdf (retrieved 4/11/2018)9 Best Buy: corporate.bestbuy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/BBY-Chemicals-Mgmt-Statement-FINAL_2.pdf (retrieved 4/11/2018) 10 Marc Bain, “Levi’s Jeans will be Broken in with Lasers,“ Quartz online, February 27, 2018, quartzy.qz.com/1215862/levis-jeans-will-be-broken-in-with-lasers/

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 13

environmentally and socially responsible practices. The resulting Pulse of Fashion Industry

report captures many of the key trends in the sector and ranks brands on their performance.11

The Drivers of Safer Chemistry Adoption: Transparency, Awareness and Circular Economy

We have identified three major factors driving the adoption of safer chemistry in the

textile apparel sector.

• The call for transparency from consumers, retailers and the advocacy community.

• The increasing public awareness of the environmental pollution associated with

the manufacturing of textiles apparel products.

• The adoption by many brands and retailers in the textile apparel space of the

circular economy language, concepts and frameworks.

The Call for Transparency

The clothes we wear tell our story, whether we want it or not. People weave brand stories

into their own personal stories, and brands need to support and represent their values. The

transparency trend in apparel started as a way to address dangerous and illegal working

conditions, including forced and child labor practices. It is now a broad movement to

improve the safety and sustainability of the whole textile and apparel supply chain.

According to a report by the Fashion Transparency Index, the number of brands that are

disclosing information about their immediate suppliers increased from 5 in 2016 to 32 in

2017. According to the same report, 68% of the brands surveyed disclosed their chemical

management policy, and 58% disclosed their supply chain guidelines for chemicals in 2017.12

These transparency initiatives are voluntary and the oversight is limited. Most companies

have little additional regulatory mandates beyond compliance with local regulations and

import rules. This may change, however, with European chemical regulations increasingly

requiring disclosure. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) requires companies to

disclose the presence of chemicals of concern present in apparel products at a weight

greater than 0.1% of the total product weight.13 Similar to California’s Prop 65 regulation14,

this EU regulation could require point of sale disclosure of the chemicals of concern

present in the apparel products, as defined by EU’s REACH SVHC framework.

11 Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report, 2018. (May 2018) Published by Global Fashion Agenda at globalfashionagenda.com/pulse/ (retrieved 5/11/2018)12 Fashion Revolution “Fashion Transparency Index 2017” full report can be accessed at fashionrevolution.org/about/transparency/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)13 European Chemicals Agency, “Use Your Right to Ask,” chemicalsinourlife.echa.europa.eu/use-your-right-to-know (retrieved 4/11/2018)14 California Environmental Protection Agency, “Proposition 65 in Plan Language,” oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/general-info/proposi-

tion-65-plain-language (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 14

As of the first quarter of 2018, companies in selling into the European Union are only

required to disclose chemicals of concern when asked by consumers or large institutional

buyers. We believe that the potential shift toward consumer labeling and disclosure

requirements will drive the sector to remove chemicals of concern from products faster

than regulatory action. The companies already ahead of the curve on transparency and

safer chemistry will benefit when regulations catch up.

Increasing Awareness

Global production of apparel and footwear in 2016 exceeded 62 million tons.15 The

environmental impact of this production is significant. For example, it takes 700 gallons of

water to produce a single t-shirt.16 Water is used in large quantities in both the production

of natural and synthetic fibers, and the chemical processing of yarn and fabric. Chemical

dyes and finishing agents are applied to yarn and/or fabric by soaking them in water with

chemicals. These processes take large qualities of water and chemicals as inputs, and

generate large volumes of polluted water that is often discharged.

About 8,000 chemicals are used in the manufacturing of the 400 billion square meters of fabric

sold globally every year.16 Chemicals are used at every step in the textile manufacturing process,

and many are potentially hazardous to human health and the natural world. Figure 2 shows a

few examples of potentially harmful chemicals used in textile and apparel manufacturing.

STEP 1YARN

Oils to reduce friction

STEP 2FABRIC PRODUCTION

Sizing chemicals, lubricants, solvents such as benzene adhesives, and binders

STEP 3PRE-TREATMENT

Surfactants such as alklphenol ethoxylates, solvents, bases for cleaning fabric, bleachesto prepare for dyeing

STEP 4DYEING & PRINTING

Heavy metal fixes agentsand dyestuffs, polymers andplasticizers for printing,detergents

STEP 5FINSHING

Softening using ammonium compounds,silicones, polyurethanes; crease resistance using a formaldehyde-based resin; water and stain resistance using flourocarbons

15 Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report. (May 2017) Published by Global Fashion Agenda globalfashionagenda.com/pulse/ (retrieved 7/19/2018)

16 Alex Scott, “Cutting Out Textile Pollution,” Chemical and Engineering News, (93) 41: 18-19, Oct. 19, 2015, cen.acs.org/articles/93/i41/ Cutting-Textile-Pollution.html

FIGURE 2

Potentially Harmful Chemicals Used in Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Source: C&E News

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Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 15

The advocacy community has brought attention to human health and environmental

impacts of the textile apparel sector. For example, the Greenpeace Detox Campaign was

launched in 2013 to address the impact of water pollution in textile producing regions of

China.17 This campaign led to the creation of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals

(ZDHC)18 group, and to increasing pressure on brands to do more to ensure the protection

of human health and the environment. The ZDHC group worked with brands and suppliers

to identify chemicals of concern used in the manufacturing of textiles, apparel and footwear.

The resulting ZDHC manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL) satisfied the demands

of Greenpeace and has rapidly become one of the most widely used standards in the

industry. ZDHC is continues to catalyze the adoption of safer chemistry by working with

the industry to identify and scale safer alternatives to the chemicals found on their MRSL.

The textile and apparel sector has also faced increased scrutiny of the labor conditions in

textile production facilities. While outside the scope of this report, disasters such as the

Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 have brought public attention to the

apparel sector, and where and how clothes are made.

Many consumers have also become aware of the impacts of the textile apparel sector,

starting with outdoor enthusiasts, and including sports and fashion. Social media and online

shopping have accelerated this awareness, and consumers are increasingly looking for

brands and products that reflect their values. For example, Patagonia’s Ryan Gellert explains

in an interview with Fashion Network: “Customers are more engaged with making conscious

purchase decisions and are demanding more from the brands they support in the way of

sustainability and fair labor. Social media and digital communication help to facilitate this.”19

Circular Economy

Brands and retailers in the textile and apparel sector have been adopting the language

and frameworks of circular economy in response to concerns about the environmental

impacts of the textile sector.

In the United States and Europe, large quantities of apparel are discarded every year.

According to the U.S. EPA, the average American consumer disposes of around 30

kilograms of clothing every year, with more than 85% headed for the landfill.20 In Europe

the average consumer discards about 12 kilograms of clothing, with about 75% estimated

to be recycled or reused.21

17 Greenpeace Campaign website greenpeace.org/archive-international/en/campaigns/detox/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)18 roadmaptozero.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)19 Fredericke Winkler, Patagonia’s Ryan Gellert: ”Customers are more engaged with making conscious purchase decisions”, Fashion Network,

March 15, 201820 United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures” 2014. Report Accessed

online at: epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures#Materials (retrieved 4/11/2018)21 Friends of the Earth Europe, “Less is more: resource efficiency through waste collection, recycling and reuse.” February 14, 2013. foeeurope.

org/less-more-140213

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 16

In a circular economy, manufacturing and use are regenerative processes. Circular

economy seeks to minimize pollution, waste, energy and water use by designing products

that are long-lived, reusable, recyclable or biodegradable.

Today, many of our products, including apparel, rely on materials and chemistries that are

not easily reused, recycled or degradable. They are often produced using manufacturing

techniques that rely on the consumption of large quantities energy, water and chemicals

that can cause pollution.

Moving to a circular economy creates demand for safe materials designed to be recycled

or degraded into nutrients. The notion of an inherently safer chemical and materials

system has been articulated by several leading thinkers, and goes by different names

that all tie into the concept of the circular economy, including cradle -to-cradle design,

green chemistry, sustainable chemistry and biomimicry.

People want products that are safer for their families and the environment. What are

brands and retailers really doing about advancing safer chemistry? Section 2 goes into

more details.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 17

SECTION 2

What Brands and Retailers Do About Advancing Safer Chemistry

p. 17

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 18

What Brands and Retailers Do About Advancing Safer Chemsitry

Many people, especially young parents, actively seek brands and products that lead with

a message of health, wellness and sustainability. Retailers and brands got the message.

How are they responding to this need? We identify several strategies brands and retailers

use to manage chemicals of concern and advance safer chemistry. These strategies stand

by themselves, but they also build upon each other in an increasing maturity scale.

The first step is to find out what

chemicals are used within the supply

chain. Brands and retailers have

spent considerable resources on

finding what’s in their products and

how they are made.

Next, brands and retailers often

create restricted substance lists

(M/RSLs)* aiming to use safer

ingredients in the manufacturing

processes when solutions are avail-

able. In implementing the M/RSLs,

most brands and retailers initially rely

on working with their existing suppli-

ers, and focus on innovation to cur-

rent processes.

Brands and retailers often turn

these efforts into a competitive

advantage by telling the story to

their customers and differentiating

from their competitors. Safer chem-

istry innovation and new materials

provide positive narratives that

resonate with consumers and build

brand loyalty.

Responding to Chemicals of Concern

Stage 1: Awareness and Transparency

Internal or external stakeholders raise issues related to

chemicals and pollution in the supply chain. At this stage

companies often adopt transparency initiatives to determine

what chemicals are being used in their supply chains.

Stage 2: Restricted Substance Lists

After finding out what chemicals and materials are in their

products or used in their supply chains, companies adopt

restricted substance lists (M/RSLs) which serve as a way

to communicate chemical management goals with supply

chain partners, ensure compliance with regulations, and

track progress. While every brand will often maintain their

own M/RSLs there are a number of industry standards

gaining widespread acceptance.

Stage 3: Preferred Lists and Upfront Screening

As brands and their suppliers look for ways to differentiate

and drive innovation, many have adopted preferred substance

lists that incentivize the screening of chemicals at the design

phase and the development of safer chemicals in the supply

chain. These initiatives are relatively new and companies are

still optimizing their communication and incentive systems.

Stage 4: Product Redesign

Brands use new materials, designs or manufacturing

processes that highlight their efforts on sustainability.

This is often one of the most effective ways to

communicate brand values and drive systemic change.

* Within the textile, apparel and footwear industry restricted substance lists (RSLs) address chemicals potentially found in the finished article, while manufacturing restricted substance lists (MRSLs) address chemicals used during the manufacturing process. Most companies are adopting both RSLs and MRSLs and they both signal the need for safer chemistry so we use M/RSLs to refer to both types of lists throughout the report.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 19

Developing new products that differentiate on safety and sustainability may

sometimes require a fundamental redesign of existing products or processes.

To do this, brands and retailers often turn to inventors, innovators and start-up

companies in search of new partnerships to develop safer products with new

performance characteristics.

M/RSLs are a core component of the chemicals management policy. In the rest of this

section we delve deeper into the classes of chemicals of concern included in M/RSLs.

What Makes Some Chemicals Hazardous?

Hazardous chemicals damage human health and the natural world. We distinguish

four categories of hazardous chemicals based on the intrinsic properties that

make them harmful. Both government and non-government organizations in the

field of environmental health use these or similar definitions to identify chemicals

of concern in manufacturing or consumer products, and certain chemicals may

fall into more than one category.

• Acutely toxic or hazardous: These are the chemicals that people naturally

associate with danger, like explosives or flammable liquids. This category also

includes acute toxicants and chemicals that do immediate and lasting damage

to tissues, including strong acids or bases. These chemicals are rarely found in

finished goods, but they are often used in the manufacturing process and can

pose a danger to workers. They are usually known, regulated and labeled.

• Carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction (CMR): Heavy metals like

lead and mercury fall into this category because they have long lasting health

effects, even if they are not immediately dangerous. Chlorinated solvents and

azo-dyes with the potential to release aryl-amines are well known examples of

CMR chemicals found in the textile sector.

• Persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT): These chemicals stay in the

environment and living tissues for long periods of time. They may be relatively

safe in small amounts, but because they do not break down there is a potential for

them to accumulate in our bodies and the environment, leading to long-term health

impacts. The poly and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) used in durable water

repellants are an example of a class of compounds that fall into this category.

• Endocrine disruptors (ED): Endocrine disruptors like bisphenol-A and

phthalates are used in many products and have been showed to interfere with

hormonal signaling mechanisms in ways that may contribute to chronic disease

and infertility. The science related to the identification and impact of endocrine

disrupting chemicals is still evolving, and as a result data and guidance are less

available for these chemicals.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 20

Creating and Applying Restricted Substance Lists (M/RSLs)

Until recently, the chemicals management practices and policies focused on specific

chemicals banned or expected to be banned by governments. For chemicals of concern

that are not yet banned, multiple collaborative mechanisms for self-regulation have

emerged, such as shared guidelines and certifications.

Brands are increasingly adopting M/RSLs as the foundation of their chemical management

policy. Most brands build their M/RSLs starting from the standard M/RSLs developed

and maintained by bodies including Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC),

American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Bluesign, Global Organic Textile

Standard (GOTS) and Cradle to Cradle (C2C). These programs provide lists of restricted

chemicals based on regulatory requirements (like those found under the European REACH

chemical regulation), as well as volunteer restrictions adopted as a part of certification

and other oversight initiatives.

The many chemicals on these M/RSLs provide a wide range of functions and performance

characteristics. Often these chemicals are not present in the final garments, but are essential

in the manufacturing process. Until recently, the selection and management of chemicals

used in production processes occurred at mills and manufacturers, not at the brand level.

M/RSLs have become an essential tool for brands to work with mills and manufacturers in

their supply chain as they become proactive about chemicals management.

We evaluated the thousand or so individual chemicals on the five major industry restricted

substance lists mentioned above, and organized them into 46 classes of chemicals that

capture the majority of the chemicals found on M/RSLs, as shown in Table 1 (next page).

We further map these 46 classes on to six broader groups of chemicals of concern,

color coded in the table: Amines (yellow), Dyes (cyan), Halogenated Chemicals (purple),

Metals (green), Monomers (red) and Solvents (blue). New chemicals that fall into one of

these broad chemical groups should be viewed with greater scrutiny. See Table 1 on the

following pages.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 21

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE

WHERE IT IS USED

BROAD CHEMICAL GROUP

AminesAuxiliaries including surfactants, dispersants

and softeners, or as process chemicals or

precursors for other materials

Various manufacturing

processesAmines

Aryl aminesIn polyurethanes and as decomposition

products of azo colorantsMills Amines

Quaternary ammonium compounds (DTDMAC, DSDMAC, DHTDMAC)

Disinfectants, cleaners, antimicrobial treatments Finishing Amines

Azo-dyes (Aryl-amine releasers) Dyes Dye houses Dyes and residuals

Hypochlorite Bleaching Dye houses, denim finishing Dyes and residuals

NaphthaleneCommon residual found in synthetic leather

tannins, and in dye dispersing agents that use

naphthalene sulfonate derivatives.

Leather production, dye

housesDyes and residuals

Poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Residual in carbon black, dyes, rubber and

other petrochemical productsDye houses Dyes and residuals

Sensitizing disperse dyes (ZDHC for subset of known sensitiz-ers, or GHS codes H317, H334, R43, R42)

Dyes for synthetic fibers including polyester,

acetate, polyamideDye houses Dyes and residuals

Titanium dioxide Pigments Dye houses Dyes and residuals

Chlorinated and non-chlorinated (MIT/CMIT)

Antimicrobial and preservative

for formulated productsChemical manufacturers Halogenated chemicals

Chlorinated benzenes

Solvents and fiber swelling agents

in dying processDye houses Halogenated chemicals

Chlorophenols Hide preservation Leather processing Halogenated chemicals

Halogenated flame retardants Flame retardants Fabric finishing Halogenated chemicals

Per- and poly- fluorinated compounds

Durable water repellency and

stain repellency Fabric finishing Halogenated chemicals

Short chai chlorinated paraffin

Leather conditioners Leather production Halogenated chemicals

Triclosan and triclocarban Antimicrobial fabric treatment Fabric finishing Halogenated chemicals

ArsenicSome pesticides/defoliants for cotton;

can be a contaminant in other materials

and dyes

Cotton farms Metals

Cadmium Some pigments and coatingMany parts of the supply

chain based on functionMetals

Cadmium (PVC stabilizer) Stabilizer in PVC Metals

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TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 22

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE

WHERE IT IS USED

BROAD CHEMICAL GROUP

Catalysts (Sb) PET catalystVarious manufacturing

processesMetals

Chromium (Leather) Tanning agent Mills Metals

Chromium (Wool)Mordant for mordant dyes used for dark

shades of woolDye houses Amines

LeadPlastics, paints, inks, pigments,

surface coatingsMills Metals

Mercury

Present in pesticides; can be found as a

contaminant in caustic soda

Mercury compounds may be used in paints

(e.g., surface paints on zippers and buttons)

Many parts of the supply

chain based on functionMetals

Nano silver Antimicrobial fabric treatment Fabric finishing Metals

Organotin compounds

Plastics/rubbers (polyurethane), inks, glitter,

some adhesives, heat transfer materials

Rubber production, shoe

manufacturing, printingMetals

AcrylamidesManufacture of resins, sealants, binders,

thickeners, fibers

Various manufacturing

processesMonomers

Acrylonitrile, Acrylates and Methacrylates

Production of acrylic yarns (85% acrylonitrile,

with the balance often being acrylates/meth-

acrylates)

Acrylic yarn manufacturing Monomers

Bisphenols including BPA, halogenated bisphenols, epoxy resins

Residual in epoxy resins or polycarbonates

Shoe manufacturing,

outdoor equipment

manufacturing

Monomers

Butadiene and styrene Synthetic rubbers, monomers for ABS

Shoe manufacturing,

outdoor equipment

manufacturing

Monomers

Epoxide and epoxide precursors like ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, epichlorohydrin

Epoxy resins and adhesives

Shoe manufacturing,

outdoor equipment

manufacturing

Monomers

Formaldehyde and other short-chain aldehydes

Wrinkle-free coatings Fabric finishing Monomers

IsocyanatesMonomers in polyurethane production

and as cross-linkers in fabric finishing

Polyurethane production,

shoe production, finishingMonomers

Ortho-phthalatesPVC plasticizers for screen printing

and coatings

Non-woven manufacturing

and printingMonomers

Vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride

Waterproof plastic impregnated fabrics,

artificial leathers

Non-woven manufacturing

and printingMonomers

Alkyl-phenol Ethoxylates Cleaners and detergents Mills Solvents and process aids

Aromatic solventsSynthetic leather and manufacturing and can

be found in cleaners and ink solventsLeather and dye houses Solvents and process aids

Benzene and o-, p-, or m- cresol Solvents used in processing and/or adhesives

Shoe manufacturing, out-

door equipment manufac-

turing

Solvents and process aids

Carbon disulfide Rayon and other cellulosic manufacturing Rayon fiber production Solvents and process aids

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TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 23

Organizing chemicals of concern by class can prevent a cycle of “regrettable substitution,”

which occurs when a phased-out, harmful chemical is replaced with a closely related

chemical which may cause similar harm. This approach helps identify potential chemicals

of concern before they show up on restricted substance lists. Once a chemical has been

identified as belonging to one of these classes, it is easier to determine what sort of data

will be needed to ensure that it is safe.

Amines are a broad class of nitrogen containing compounds that perform many different

functions within the textiles supply chain. They can be used as building blocks for

dyes, polymers and surfactants (quaternary ammonia compounds). Amines are often

contaminants or released during the breakdown of materials. Amines can be a health

concern because of corrosive and reductive potential activity (usually low molecular

weight amines), as well as their biological activity (higher molecular weight and aromatic

amines), including carcinogenicity of aryl amines.

Dyes and residuals include some dyes that are harmful and should be avoided. Among

the more harmful are aryl amine releasers (azo and benzidine dyes) and sensitizing

disperse dyes. Because many dyes are designed to bind fibers, they can also react with

biological tissues and should be treated with caution even if they are “natural dyes.”

ChemSec has developed their Textile Guide in collaboration with ZDHC Group to help

identify safer dyes and other textile chemicals.22

Halogenated chemicals contain one or more of the halogen group elements Fluorine

(F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br) or Iodine (I) covalently bonded to carbon. They have

a tendency to persist in the environment, and some of them are biologically active.

Halogenated chemicals including perfluorinated surfactants and brominated flame

retardants are regulated and/or included on M/RSLs.

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE

WHERE IT IS USED

BROAD CHEMICAL GROUP

Chlorinated cleaning solvents Dry cleaning, spot cleaning, scouring Garment manufacturing Halogenated chemicals

DMF Swelling/foaming for polyurethane non-wovenMaterials and chemical

suppliersSolvents and process aids

GlycolsSolvents in finishing, cleaning, printing and

adhesive processes

Fabric finishing, garment

manufactureSolvents and process aids

N, N- dimethylacetamide (DMAC)

Solvent for elastane and polyurethane

coatings; adhesives

Materials and chemical

suppliersSolvents and process aids

22 textileguide.chemsec.org/ (retrieved 4/11/2018).

TABLE 1

Classes of Chemicals of Concern in M/RSLs Source: Safer Made, 2018

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Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 24

Heavy metals are used in dyes and as catalysts or formulation aids in resins and synthetic

fibers. Many of the most dangerous heavy metals like lead and cadmium are regulated,

while others like organotin compounds can be found in a wide variety of formulations.

Some functions, such as catalyzing polymerization, can only be accomplished with

metals. For other functions, such as leather tanning, the alternatives to heavy metals are

more expensive or do not perform as well.

Monomers are the building blocks of synthetic fibers and resins. They must be reactive

to perform their function, and are hazardous to human and environmental health before

they have been polymerized or cured. The final polymers and fibers made from these

monomers are usually biologically inert and do not pose an immediate hazard beyond

their tendency to persist in the environment. Since monomers are the buildings blocks

of synthetic fibers and resins, they cannot be avoided without changing basic materials.

Solvents are widely used to transfer chemistry onto fabric and/or remove residuals. Solvents

and process aids are used in large quantities and often affect workers. Some solvents fulfill

specific functions, such as DMF used in foaming polyurethane, while others are used for

many applications, such as the aromatic solvents used for cleaning or dispersion of dyes.

In most cases there are multiple solvents that can be used for the same function. Cost and

availability are significant factors in safer solvent adoption, since solvents are used in large

volumes several steps upstream from brands in the supply chain.

We further distinguish two groups of classes of chemicals based on how easy it is to

find alternatives, as shown in Table 2 (next page). The first group includes classes of

chemicals for which safer alternatives are available, and the second group includes classes

of chemicals that either do not have available alternatives or have emerging alternatives

that need more development.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 25

Chemicals that have been banned or may be banned in certain jurisdictions often already

have available alternatives that work. Brands should be able to rely on supply chain

partners to find substitutes for these classes of chemicals.

Chemicals in the second group may require brands, mills and chemical suppliers to work

together to find alternatives. Note that an “alternative” may be a substitution with a new

chemical, or may be a change in process or material design that mitigate the need for the

chemical. In some cases alternatives are in development but may have drawbacks, and

more process development work may be required to integrate the new solutions into the

manufacturing processes.

There are also chemical classes that have no current satisfactory alternatives and

require significant chemistry and/or process innovation to eliminate. Removing these

Alkyl phenol ethoxylates

Chlorophenols

Triclosan and triclocarban

Arsenic

Cadmium

Mercury

Lead

Organotin compounds

Ortho-phthalates

Azo-dyes (Aryl-amine releasers)

Sensitizing disperse dyes

Poly aromatic hydrocarbons

Benzene and o-,p-, or m- cresol

Chlorinated benzenes

Amine auxiliaries

Halogenated flame retardants

Chlorinated solvents

DMF

Glycols

Nano silver

Isothiazolinone-derivatives

Antimony catalysts

Titanium dioxide

Fluorinated compounds

Formaldehyde and other short-chain aldehydes

Hypochlorite

Bisphenols including BPA

Vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride

Acrylamides

Butadiene and styrene

Epoxide and dioxane precursors

Chlorinated paraffin

Aryl amines

Naphthalene

Carbon Disulfide

Chromium

Aromatic solvents

N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC)

Quaternary ammonium compounds

Acrylonitrile, acrylates and methacrylates

Alternatives Currently Available Alternatives Requiring Development and/or Not Available

TABLE 2

Chemical Classes Grouped Based on Availability of SolutionsSource: Safer Made, 2018

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Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 26

chemical classes may require brands to support more systemic innovation and bring new

technologies into the textile supply chain.

Plastic Pollution in the Textile and Apparel Industry

In addition to the classes of chemicals of concern described above, there are emerging

concerns related to plastic pollution caused by the textile and apparel industry.

Synthetic fibers like polyester and nylons now dominate apparel. A recent report

published by Textile Exchange in 2016 shows polyester fibers having 55% of all textile

mill fiber volume.23 Synthetic polymers tend to persist in the environment and can end

up acting as chemical pollutants as well as substrates that magnify the accumulation of

other harmful chemicals within ecosystems.

A recent article published in Environmental Science & Technology connects plastic

microfiber pollution in marine environments with emissions from washing apparel made

from synthetic fibers.24 Media and consumer interest and awareness of the marine

pollution problem has been growing, and awareness of the connection to synthetic textile

apparel has raised the concern about marine plastic pollution within the apparel industry,

especially in the outdoor apparel industry which has the closest ties to the problem due

to its high use of synthetic fibers.

A number of organizations including the Leitat Mermaids project in Europe and the

Outdoor Industry Association in the US support research and industry collaborations

looking to address microfiber pollution.25 New materials that would displace synthetic

fibers (polyester, polypropylene and nylon) could be designed to degrade in the marine

environment and therefore eliminate plastic microfiber pollution. Another approach, taken

by a few innovative companies including Guppyfriend, Coraball, Planet Care Solutions

and Lint LUV-R, is to use wash bags, washing balls and/or filters that prevent micro

particles from apparel from being released into wastewater when washing clothes.26

The apparel industry also uses significant amounts of plastic for hangers, and to package

and ship its products. All of these synthetic materials have the potential to contribute to

plastics pollution. The typical approach to this challenge has been to look for plastics that

are recyclable, reusable or compostable. However, the reality is a little complicated for a

variety of reasons.

23 textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/TE-Preferred-Fiber-Market-Report-Oct2016-1.pdf (retrieved 4/8/2018)24 Mark Anthony Browne, et. al. (2011) “Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sink” (45) 9175–9179. DOI: dx.doi.

org/10.1021/es201811s25 Nikki Hodgson (2017) “Microfibers and the Outdoor Industry: Issue Update” Published online: outdoorindustry.org/article/microfi-

bers-and-the-outdoor-industry-issue-update/#articles (retrieved 4/11/2018) and projects.leitat.org/mermaids-projects-preparatory-ac-tions-have-been-completed/ (retrieved 5/14/2018)

26 Guppyfriend: guppyfriend.com/en/, Coraball: coraball.com/, Planet Care: planetcare.org/, and Lint LUV-R: environmentalenhancements.com/Lint-LUV-R-links.html (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 27

Bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxy alkonates (PHAs)

are compostable but have no recycling infrastructure, have low heat resistance, and are

more expensive. PLA is not marine degradable but is compostable, while PHA is both

compostable and marine degradable. These plastics are still relatively uncommon in the

textile supply chain, but are growing in popularity within the packaged food sector.

Petroleum-derived safe plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and

polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are recyclable but not compostable. These are the

most common plastics in the textile industry and are used for packaging and to make

yarns and fabrics.

There are potentially harmful chemicals used in some resins and plastics found in hard-

goods and footwear including polystyrene; bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF) in epoxy resins;

phthalates in polyvinyl chloride (PVC); isocyanates in polyurethane; and polyfluorinated

(PF) coatings.

Many brands are looking for alternatives to the plastic “poly bags” used to ship apparel.

AFIRM27 is an industry group that has developed a packaging-specific restricted

substance list. We have also seen young companies such as NORMN Hangers28 proposing

alternatives to the plastic hangers in transportation and display.

27 afirm-group.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)28 normanhangers.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 28

SECTION 3

Innovation Areas in Safer Chemistry and Materials

p. 28

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 29

Innovation Areas in Safer Chemistry and Materials

The Innovation Landscape

We discussed the main factors driving the need for safer chemistry innovation in

Section 1, and the industry’s use of M/RSLs as the foundation of chemicals management

in Section 2. In Section 3, we explore how to help advance safer chemistry innovation

beyond implementing M/RSLs; and how to bring new investors and innovators into the

textile apparel space.

We define “Innovation Areas” in textile apparel to describe the innovation needs and to

facilitate conversations between multiple stakeholders including brands, mills, ingredient

suppliers, investors, innovators and start-up companies.

In defining the innovation areas, we focus on the relationships between function and material performance needs on the one side, and the universe of potential solutions and alternatives on the other.

Function and performance define the innovation need. We often ask people responsible

for product design and materials research at leading brands and retailers, “What are your

top challenges regarding safer chemistry and sustainability?” The answers quite often

come in the form of “a way to make x without using y” or “a material that delivers z,”

rather than “a drop-in alternative to chemical c.” Even if chemicals and chemical classes

are the culprits in terms of safety and sustainability, function and material performance

are what matters for designers and material experts.

In defining the innovation areas, we focus on the relationships between function and

material performance needs on the one side, and the universe of potential solutions and

alternatives on the other.

We start with the function and take a broad perspective on what could be used to deliver

that function.29 This approach is in contrast to one that tries to characterize and manage

29 Joel Tickner, et.al (2015), “Advancing Safer Alternatives Through Functional Substitution” Environmental Science and Technology, (49), 742−749. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1021/es503328m

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 30

particular chemicals and find specific substitutes.

It offers an efficient means to reorient chemicals

management—from the risk management focus on

single chemicals, to evaluating the best options to

deliver specific functions.

We believe that the solutions to safer chemistry

challenges are quite often new materials and

processes that deliver new performance character-

istics. These new materials and processes do not

emerge from a search for one-to-one substitutes to

chemicals of concern. Our approach to defining the

Innovation Areas is shown in Figure 3.

Taking a functional approach helps avoid instances

when one harmful chemical is replaced with another

chemical, less known but also harmful. These kinds

of “regrettable substitutions” happen more often

than we would like; when chemists or engineers are

asked for alternatives, they will likely find compounds

that are similar in structure and likely to have similar

impact. The sidebar highlights a recent example of

such a regrettable substitution.

FIGURE 3:

Innovation Areas Defined at the Function, Material or Process LevelSource: Safer Made 2018

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Regrettable Substitution The BPA Example

Searching for alternatives to bisphenol-a

(BPA), a known endocrine disruptor, certain

manufacturers used similar compounds, such

as bisphenol-s (BPS) in certain applications.

Unfortunately, both BPA and BPS are

endocrine disruptors with estrogenic activity

of comparable potency, even though only BPA

was called out initially. Many products labeled

BPA-free contained the endocrine-disrupting

chemical BPS. One application of BPA is

electronic receipts, where the chemical is used

as a dye transfer agent. In that application,

the approach to eliminating BPA included

transitioning to ink printing the receipts,

eliminating the need for dye transfer agents

altogether. This type of “platform change”

approach to eliminating a chemical of concern

may often be missed in discussions of safer

chemistry, because they do not have a one-to-

one correspondence with a chemical of concern.

Materials

Processes

Functions46 classesof chemicals

of concern

Thousands ofchemicals of

concern inM/RSLs

Safer new technologies,materials and processes

INNOVATIONAREAS

////////

Innovation Market Place

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 31

Eliminating chemicals of concern through process and material changes during the

design phase adds to chemical management strategies based on M/RSLs. Materials and

system-level changes may allow brands and retailers to address additional sustainability

goals, including the reduction of energy and water use, and the microfiber and plastics

pollution problem described previously.

In the following portion of this section, we define five safer chemistry Innovation Areas

within the textile and apparel sector: New Materials, New Safer Chemistries, Waterless

Processing, Fiber Recycling and Supply Chain Information Management Tools.

We also identify and group current examples of young companies working on safer

chemistry, materials and technologies for each innovation area. We do not claim to

comprehensively record all the innovation activities and mention all companies active,

but we do think it is useful to highlight the extent of current activity, and to showcase

examples. We expect the Innovation Areas and the innovation activity to continue to

evolve and change with the needs of the textile and apparel sector.

Innovation Area #1: New Materials

Fibers and yarns are the building blocks of the textile industry. Figure 4 shows the current

share of volume for the main types of fiber used in the textile industry.

Of the 46 classes of chemicals of concern identified in Section 2, 22 are associated with

the production of basic input materials for the industry such as leather, polyester or

polyurethane. Table 3 organizes these classes of chemicals with the fibers and materials

where they are used in the textile and apparel industry.

MATERIAL/PRODUCT FUNCTION/PRECURSOR SPECIFIC CHEMICAL/S

Acrylic yarn Monomers used in the production of acrylic yarns Acrylonitrile, acrylates, methacrylates

Elastane and polyurethane Solvent for elastane and polyurethane N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC)

Flame retardant fabrics Flame suppression Halogenated flame retardants

Hard goods Epoxy resins or polycarbonates for gluesResidual BPA, halogenated bisphenols, epoxy resins

Leather Leather conditioners Short chain chlorinated paraffin

Leather Solvents used in synthetic leather manufacturing and leather dyeing

Aromatic solvents

Leather Synthetic leather tanning Residual naphthalene

Leather Tanning Chromium

Polyacrylamide fiber and resin

Manufacturing of resins, sealants, binders, thickeners, fibers

Acrylamides

Polyester Polymerization catalyst Antimony

TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 32

TABLE 3

Classes of Chemicals of Concern Associated with the Production of Common Yarns and Materials in the Textile and Apparel IndustrySource: Safer Made 2018.

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Polyester Antimicrobial fabric treatment for odor control Nano silver

Polyester Antimicrobial fabric treatment for odor controlQuaternary ammonium compounds (DTDMAC, DSDMAC and DHTDMAC)

Polyurethane Swelling/foaming agent DMF

Polyurethane Monomers for polyurethane production Isocyanates

Polyurethane Polyurethane breakdown product Aryl amines

PVC impregnated fabrics and synthetic leathers Stabilizer Cadmium

PVC impregnated fabrics and synthetic leathers Plasticizers

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and ortho-phthalates

PVC impregnated fabrics and synthetic leathers Basic material PVC and PVDC

Rayon Process chemical used in rayon and other cellulosic fiber manufacturing

Carbon disulfide

Rubber Plastics/rubbers, inks, glitter, some adhesives, heat transfer material

Organotin compounds

Rubber Rubber and carbon black manufacturing process chemicals

Residual poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Shoes and outdoor equipment Synthetic rubbers, and monomers for ABS Butadiene and styrene

Shoes and outdoor equipment Epoxy resins and other adhesives

Epoxide and epoxide precursors like ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, epichlorohydrin

Cotton apparel Wrinkle-free textile finishingFormaldehyde and other short-chain aldehydes

Synthetic fabricsYarns and fabrics made from PET, PP, nylon, etc. that do not break down in the environment

Microfiber pollution

The choice of materials drives the choice of process chemistry used to produce and finish

a garment. Materials can be designed to minimize the use of harmful chemistry. Materials

derived from renewable sources or from recycled feedstocks have the potential to lower

the lifecycle carbon, water and chemistry impacts when compared to traditional materials.

Textile industry insiders like to point out that no significant new materials have been

introduced since polyester in the 1950s. The industry is hungry for new materials with new

performance characteristics, and there are several companies aiming to bring them to

market. The need for materials innovation provides the opportunity to adopt new materials

that perform better and are safer, and to design safer manufacturing processes. Addressing

chemicals of concern and resource use associated with fiber production in the supply

chain could be the catalyst for developing more sustainable fibers, yarns and fabrics.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 33

30 coyuchi.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)31 allbirds.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)32 wearpact.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)33 Textile Exchange, (2017) “Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2017” Published online at: textileexchange.org/2017-market-reports/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

POLYESTER 55%

ACRYLIC 2%

COTTON 27%

Global Mill

Consumption Share

Of All Major Fibers

For 2015

WOOL 1.3%

POLYPROPYLENE 4%

NYLON 4.7%

CELLULOSICS 6%FIGURE 4

Global Share of Textile FibersSource: Textile Exchange, Preferred Fiber Market Report, 2016

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As the chart shows, polyester consumption

in 2015 is more than double that of its nearest

rival - cotton. Polyester is the only fiber that

has gained market share since 1990.

Leather and its polyurethane substitute can serve as good examples. Leather processing

is associated with the use of chlorophenols (preservation), chromium (tanning) and short

chain chlorinated paraffin (conditioning). Polyurethane is a synthetic leather substitute,

linked to isocyanates (chemical feedstock), DMF (process solvent) and arylamines

(byproducts or breakdown products). Switching to a performant, safe and economic

alternative to leather would eliminate both the need for chemicals of concern associated

with the production of leather, and its polyurethane-based substitute.

Consumers show a growing preference for natural materials. The natural trend started in

food and is now a driving force in cosmetics and personal care products market. While

this trend is still nascent within the apparel industry, we see a number of young brands

focusing on natural materials and dyes as a key differentiator. Coyuchi (bed linens),30

Allbirds (shoes),31 and PACT (clothing)32 are examples of new brands that lead with

messages that highlight their choices of natural materials.

Within the New Materials Innovation Area we distinguish three sub-areas ripe for innovation: New

Synthetic Fibers, Leather Alternatives and New Cellulosic Fibers. Each are described in turn.

New Synthetic Fibers

Our clothes are increasingly made of plastic. Polyester made up 55% of the total fiber market

in 2015 according to a Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber Market Report.33 Most of the polyester

used by the industry is from virgin feedstock; and a small percentage of polyester is sourced

from recycled PET drink bottles. One of the safer chemistry challenges related to polyester—

both recycled and virgin—is the use of antimony for the PET polymerization process.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 34

Microfibers and the environmental persistence of polyester fibers is a significant environmental

challenge. Large polyester producers, like the Poole Company, have been working to develop new

types of polyester that are biodegradable, so it can be blended with natural fibers and degrade in

the environment at the end of the product’s life.34 Ciclo is producing a polyester yarn additive that

allows garments to degrade in anaerobic and marine environments at the end of life.35

Other companies have innovated by adding bio-sourced additives to PET to boost bio-based

content and eliminate the need for additional odor control finishings, which are oftentimes biocides.

For example, Sundried,36 a UK-based sportswear brand, has designed apparel made from recycled

PET that includes coffee grounds processed into yarn, making it antibacterial. These coffee ground-

infused fibers eliminate the use of additional biocides including quaternary ammonium compounds,

nano silver, and isothiazolinone-derivatives. Virent, has been working with major chemical and yarn

supplier Toray to produce the first 100% bio-based polyester t-shirt.37

The industry is hungry for new materials with new performance characteristics… The need for materials innovation provides the opportunity to adopt new materials that perform better and are safer, and to design safer manufacturing processes.

There is emerging interest in polyester-like fibers that degrade in a marine environment.

The leading polymer candidate replacement at the moment is polyhydroxyalkanoates

(PHAs). Mango Materials38 plans to make a PHA-based yarn that can degrade in the marine

environment. Other companies have been looking to PHAs to eliminate another source

of plastic pollution, the plastic “poly bags” used to ship garments. Existing poly bags are

not degradable and are rarely recycled, so some brands would like to replace them with a

compostable bag, likely made from PHAs, starch or another degradable bioplastic.

We also see significant interest in new synthetic fibers made of proteins similar to the ones

in spider silk, from companies like Bolt Threads and Spiber.39 As of late 2017, both companies

raised significant capital and partnered with existing leading brands (Bolt Threads with Stella

McCartney, and Spiber with The North Face). Like other synthetic fibers, these polymers are

extruded to make filament that can be spun into yarn. The difference is that the polymers are

protein-based and made through fermentation. These fibers will be both biodegradable and

sourced from biological feedstocks. Similarly, Algiknit40 is extruding biopolymers isolated

from seaweed into fiber and yarn that can be used by the apparel industry.

34 rivetandjeans.com/denim-north-america-tackles-biodegradable-performance-denim/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)35 ciclotextiles.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)36 sundried.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)37 virent.com/ (retrieved 5/14/2018)38 mangomaterials.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)39 boltthreads.com/ and Spiber: spiber.jp/en (retrieved 4/11/2018)40 algiknit.com/ (retrieved 5/14/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 35

Sheerly Genius41 uses ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) to create a

new yarn. UHMWPE is an extremely strong material originally used as a light alternative

to Kevlar. Sheerly Genius aims to bring it to the apparel space, focusing initially on

pantyhose. The extreme resistance of this new yarn ensures it will last through wear, and

reduces the need to buy new pairs of pantyhose. The very high value of the material

also makes takeback and recycling a likely element of the business model. Table 4 shows

current examples of companies working on new synthetic fibers innovation.

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE

Algiknit Fibers made from seaweed extract algiknit.com

AMSilk Production of synthetic silk biopolymers (Biosteel®) amsilk.com

Beaulieu Yarns Sustainable versions of polyamide yarns (PA6) yarns beaulieuyarns.com

Bionic Materials made from plastic recovered from marine and coastal environments

bionic.is

Bolt Threads Synthetic spider silk boltthreads.com

Ciclo Additive to promote the degradation of PET and other synthetics yarns

ciclotextiles.com

Cocona Inc. / 37.5® Technology Fabric enhancer derived from coconuts thirtysevenfive.com

Danimer PHA producer relying on the fermentation of sugar danimerscientific.com

Fulgar Castor oil-based fibers fulgar.com

Full Cycle Bioplastics PHA flexible film producer, which relies on fermentation of waste biomass

fullcyclebioplastics.com

Green Banana Paper Banana byproduct-based fibers greenbananapaper.com

Mango Materials PHA-based marine degradable fiber, produced from methane captured at waste water treatment facilities

mangomaterials.com

Offset Warehouse Banana byproduct-based fibers offsetwarehouse.com

Orange Fiber Citrus byproduct-based fibers orangefiber.it/en

Pinatex Pineapple leaf-based fiber alternative ananas-anam.com

Qmilk Milk-based fibers qmilkfiber.eu

Samatoa Lotus Textiles Lotus-based fibers samatoa.lotus-flower-fabric.com

Sheerly Genius Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene-based new yarn for pantyhose, athletic and leisure apparel

sheerlygenius.com

Singtex / S.Cafe Coffee grounds-based polyester fiber additive and enhancersingtex.com/en-global/technology/fabrics_info/scafe

Smartfiber AG Patented process to embed seaweed within natural cellulose fiber

smartfiber.de

Spiber Production of synthetic silk biopolymers spiber.jp/en

Tjeerd Veenhoven Renewable textiles made from algae tjeerdveenhoven.com

Virent Biobased PET producer working with Toray to produce Bio-PET virent.com

TABLE 4

New Synthetic Fiber CompaniesSource: Safer Made 2018.

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41 sheerlygenius.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 36

Leather Alternatives

New leather alternatives have the potential to eliminate several classes of chemicals of

concern. Table 5 shows the function these chemicals play in leather production.

Luxury, fashion and sports brands are interested to differentiate by bringing to market

animal free products. Existing animal free leather is based on synthetic vinyl or

polyurethane polymers, which rely on phthalates (vinyl) and/or DMF (polyurethane) to

provide a texture similar to leather. Both Phthalates and DMF are chemicals of concern

included in most M/RSLs.

Several innovative companies are exploring ways to bring new leather alternatives to

market including the companies highlighted in Table 6.

TABLE 5

Classes of Chemicals of Concern Associated with Leather ProductionSource: Safer Made 2018

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CHEMICALS OF CONCERN USED IN LEATHER PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS

Chlorinated aromatics Solvent

Pentachlorophenol Preservative

Chromium Tanning agent

Chlorinated paraffin Softener

Naphthalene Contaminant in tanning and dyeing

Sodium sulfide Tanning agent

Acrylic and Isocyanate monomers Cross-linkers and finishing agents

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY/SOURCE MATERIAL WEBSITE

Amadou Mushroom amadouleather.com

Atlantic Leather Fish atlanticleather.is

bleed clothing GmbH Cork bleed-clothing.com/english

E-Leather Recycled leather fibers with synthetic fiber support eleathergroup.com

Ecovative / Bolt Threads Mushroom ecovativedesign.com

Fruitleather Fruit waste fruitleather.nl

GeltorBio-fabricated leather made from fermentation produced collagen

geltor.com

Grado Zero Espace - Muskin Fungus (Phellinus ellipsoideus) gradozero.eu

TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 37

New Cellulosic Fibers

Cotton is the second most used fiber in the textile and apparel industry after polyester,

despite its high costs and heavy environmental footprint. Cotton can use as much as

20,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of fiber, according to the World Wildlife

Fund.42 Conventional cotton farming also accounts for 16% of all insecticides and 6.8% of

all herbicides used worldwide.42 Awareness of the significant impact of cotton production

has been growing, and increasingly brands are looking for more sustainable natural fiber

options, ranging from organic cotton to new cellulosic fibers.

Other cellulosic fibers in the same class as cotton such as linen, hemp, rayon and Tencel

are gaining popularity as natural fibers with potentially less environmental impact and

different performance properties.

Rayon and Tencel fibers are created from woody biomass, which is pulped and chemically

extruded to create new cellulose filament. These alternative cellulose fibers have their own

environmental impact. Canopy, an NGO focused on sustainable forestry, recently released

a third-party audit of a global viscose and rayon producer, assessing their risk of sourcing

their feedstock from endangered forests.43 Lenzing, a large cellulosic fiber producer, has

launched EcoVero, a product line using sustainable wood feedstock and a cleaner production

process with supply-chain transparency.44 Stella McCartney also recently released a life cycle

assessment report comparing the environmental performance of ten raw material sources of

alternative cellulose fibers.45 This report underscores the importance of understanding the

fiber supply chain, since even nearly identical yarns can have different environmental impacts.

42 worldwildlife.org/industries/cotton (retrieved 4/11/2018)43 canopyplanet.org/canopy-media/announcing-the-canopystyle-audit/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)44 uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Lenzing-unleashes-new-eco-friendly-fibre,832288.html#.WS5HuOt97IU (retrieved 4/11/2018)45 scsglobalservices.com/resource/lca-comparing-ten-sources-of-manmade-cellulose-fiber (retrieved 4/11/2018)

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY/SOURCE MATERIAL WEBSITE

Modern MeadowBio-fabricated leather made from fermentation produced collagen

modernmeadow.com

MycoWorks Fungal mycelium mycoworks.com

Noani Eucalyptus fiber noanifashion.de/en

Okinawa Plant and wood okinawa.it

Pinatex Pineapple leaf ananas-anam.com

ProvenanceBio-fabricated leather made from fermentation-produced collagen

provenance.bio/technology

Thamon Sal leaf thamon.co.uk

Vegea Grape waste vegeacompany.com/en

TABLE 6

Innovative Companies Working on Leather AlternativesSource: Safer Made 2018.

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Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 38

Researchers are also exploring new cellulosic fibers. For example, a team of researchers

at the University of Cambridge have created a fiber that has the strength and flexibility of

spider silk and is made from a material called hydrogel, containing silica and cellulose.46

Examples of innovative companies exploring new cellulosic fibers are highlighted in Table 7.

There are several young companies developing ways to use post-industrial and post-

consumer apparel waste as feedstocks to create regenerated cellulose fibers. These

startups are highlighted in the Fiber Recycling Innovation Area #4.

Innovation Area #2: New Safer Chemistries

Significant amounts of chemicals are applied to yarns and fabrics during the dyeing and

finishing steps in order to color fabrics and to provide various functions such as water

repellency, stain resistance, flame resistance, moisture wicking, wrinkle resistance, and

antibacterial and odor resistance. Table 8 includes some of the classes of chemicals of concern

in M/RSLs that could be eliminated by switching to safer finishing and dyeing chemistries.

46 sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/chemistry_materials_packaging/sustainable_brands/trending_biomimicry_changing_attitud (retrieved 4/11/2018)

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE

9Fiber Greener method for processing hemp fibers 9fiber.com

Agraloop Conversion of agricultural waste to cellulosic fiber circular-systems.com/agraloop

CRAiLAR Flax fiber that drastically reduces chemical and water usage crailar-fti.com

Ioncell-F Converting wood into textiles using ionic liquids ioncell.fi

Nanollose Conversion of industrial organic waste to plant-free cellulose nanollose.com

Spinnova Wood fiber-based yarns spinnova.fi

Tyton BioConversion of agricultural or post-consumer fabric into cellulosic fiber feedstock

tytonbio.com

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE WHERE USED IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

AminesAuxiliaries including surfactants, dispersants and softeners, or as process chemicals or precursors for other materials

All parts of the supply chain

Chlorinated and non-chlorinated (MIT/CMIT) Isothiazolinone-derivatives

Antimicrobial and preservative for formulated products

Chemical manufacturers

Poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Residual in dyes, rubber, carbon black, other petrochemical products

Dye houses

TABLE 7

Innovative Companies Working on New Cellulosic FibersSource: Safer Made 2018.

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TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 39

TABLE 8

Classes of Chemicals of Concern Associated with Dyeing and Finishing TextilesSource: Safer Made 2018.

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NaphthaleneA common residual in synthetic leather tannins, and in dye dispersing agents that use naphthalene sulfonate derivatives

Leather production and dye houses

Chromium (Leather) Tanning agent for leather Leather Tanning

Alkyl phenol Ethoxylates Cleaners and detergents Mills

Aryl amines Found in polyurethanes and as decomposition products of azo colorants

Mills

Lead Plastics, paints, inks, pigments, surface coatings Mills

Ortho-phthalates Plasticizer in PVC for screen printing and coatings Non-woven manufacturing and printing

Vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride

These polymers form the basis of some waterproof plastic-impregnated fabrics and artificial leathers

Non-woven manufacturing and printing

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE WHERE USED IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Sensitizing disperse dyes (ZDHC for subset of known sensitizers, or GHS codes H317, H334, R43, R42)

Dyes used with synthetic fibers including polyester, acetate, polyamide

Dye houses

Titanium dioxide Known as Titanium white and used in many pigments in the textile industry

Dye houses

Azo-dyes (Aryl-amine releasers) Dyes Dye houses

Chlorinated benzenes Solvents, fiber swelling agents in dying process Dye houses

Chromium Wool Mordant for mordant dyes used for dark shades of wool

Dye houses

Hypochlorite Bleaching Dye houses, denim finishing

Arsenic Some pesticides/defoliants for cotton, as well as a contaminant in other materials and dyes

Farms

Formaldehyde and other short-chain aldehydes Wrinkle-free coatings Finishing

Halogenated Flame Retardants Flame retardants Finishing

Nano silver Antimicrobial fabric treatment Finishing

Per- and poly-fluorinated compoundS Durable water repellency Finishing

Per- and poly-fluorinated compounds Stain resistant Finishing

Triclosan and triclocarban Antimicrobial fabric treatment Finishing

Glycols Solvents in finishing, cleaning, printing, adhesive processes

Finishing, and garment manufacture

Chlorinated cleaning solvents Dry cleaning, spot cleaning, scouring Garment manufacture

Chlorophenols Hide preservation in the leather industry Leather processing

Short chain chlorinated paraffin Leather conditioners Leather production

Aromatic solvents Used in synthetic leather manufacturing, and can be found in cleaners and ink solvents

Leather production and dye houses

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 40

Finishing mills and dye-houses typically source their own chemistry and design their own

manufacturing processes. Bringing new production methods or technologies to market

requires working together with the mills and dye houses. They are often reluctant to invest

capital upfront when demand for the new process or technology may be uncertain. When

developing chemical and manufacturing innovation in dyeing and finishing, it is critical to

understand how these technologies will be used within the supply chain, and how the costs

and benefits of the new technologies will be split among the various supply chain partners.

Within the New Safer Chemistries Innovation Area we distinguish two sub-areas:

Safer Finishing Chemistries and Bio-based Dyes.

Safer Finishing Chemistries

Finishing refers to the processes performed after dyeing the yarn or fabric to improve the

look, performance or “hand” (feel) of the finished textile or clothing. Additional chemicals

are often added to yarns or fabrics to provide performance attributes including water

repellency, stain resistance, flame resistance, moisture wicking, wrinkle resistance, anti-

bacterial and odor resistance properties.

Safer durable water repellency, antimicrobial and wrinkle-free finishing chemistries are

active innovation needs, as the end-use function relies on applying chemicals of concern

to fabric. We have seen examples of established chemical suppliers and young companies

working on potential solutions.

In the durable water repellency (DWR) space, many outdoor and fashion brands have

pledged to remove fluorinated finishes from their apparel, which has spurred the

development alternative DWR coatings from a wide range of suppliers. The solutions that

come from existing suppliers (such as Chemours or Huntsman) or from young companies

rely on the same set of chemical alternatives: silicones, palm oil derivatives and polymer

coatings such as polyurethane or paraffin. Suppliers have proprietary formulations that

change the application and durability of these finishes, but so far many struggle with

performance issues such as inferior water repellency to the existing fluorocarbon-based

solutions, loss of performance when exposed to oils and dirt, and inferior wash durability.

Among the young companies developing durable water repellency solutions, Green

Theme International47 stands out; they are developing a way to deliver highly durable

water repellency performance without using fluorocarbons. Another innovative company

in this space, Dropel,48 is adapting existing processes and formulations to deliver

fluorocarbon-free durable water repellency for cotton fabrics.

47 greenthemeint.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)48 dropelfabrics.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 41

Bio-based Dyes

Synthetic dyes have been at the heart of the chemical industry since its beginning. BASF’s first

commercial products were aniline dyes, and after producing the first synthetic indigo in 1897,

dyes made up almost 80% of BASF’s revenue. Today there are many other chemical suppliers

of dyes, and most are have launched more sustainable product lines: Archroma (Earthcolors),

Huntsman (Avitera), Garmon (Nimbus) and DyStar (Cadira and Lava). Most existing chemistry

suppliers have focused their innovation efforts on improving dyeing efficiency and reducing

labor, energy and water use during the resource intensive dyeing process.

Industry is interested in natural and bio-based dyes, and several companies are addressing

this need. Stony Creek Colors and The Colours of Nature are producing natural indigo.49

PiliBio and Colorfix are making new dyes and modifying existing ones with fermentation

processes and renewable feedstocks.50 Nature Coatings51 is using waste from the wood

industry to create a carbon black alternative that is more effective and better for the

environment. Examples of innovative companies active in the New Safer Chemistries

Innovation Area are included in Table 9.

49 Stony Creek Colors: stonycreekcolors.com and Colours of Nature: thecoloursofnature.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)50 PiliBio: pili.bio/ and Colorfix: colorifix.com/Colorifix/page.php (retrieved 4/11/2018)51 naturecoatings.net/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE

Acticell Denim bleaching agent to replace KMNO4 acticell.at

APJet Atmospherically stable plasma for chemical deposition apjet.com

Beyond Surface Technologies Bio-based textile finishing chemistries beyondst.com

Colorifix Bio-based dyes expressed and applied with bacteria colorifix.com

ColorZen Efficient and safe cationization of cotton colorzen.com

The Colours of Nature Natural indigo and other dye production and dyeing thecoloursofnature.com

Dropel Durable water repellency for cotton dropelfabrics.com

eDye Melt dyeing of polyester e-dye.com

Green Theme InternationalWaterless chemistry platform providing high performance durable water repellency

greenthemeint.com

Hygratek Bio-based (corn husk and silica powder) omniphobic coating for fabric hygratek.com

Nature Coatings Wood waste-based carbon black alternative naturecoatings.net

Nano Textile Ultrasonic finishing processes that eliminate chemical binders nano-textile.com

PiliBio Fungus dyes and pigments made by fermentation pili.bio

Recycrom Pigments made from textile waste recycrom.com

SpinDye Melt dyeing processes using recycled polyester spindye.com

Stony Creek Colors Natural indigo dye production from plants grown in the U.S. stonycreekcolors.com

TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 42

Innovation Area #3: Waterless Processing

Large quantities of water are used at almost every step of the textiles and apparel

manufacturing process in apparel textiles, including applying dyes and finishing chemicals

to fabrics. Water is also used to clean yarn, fabric and apparel through the production

process. Water-based processing and waste-water is one of the main sources of chemical

emissions into the environment from the textile industry.

Waterless chemical application processes would reduce chemical pollution and enable

the removal of auxiliary chemistries, such as dispersants and salts, added to the water

base during the dyeing and finishing processes. Switching to waterless processes may

also enable the use of new chemistries, which could be optimized to minimize the use of

chemicals of concern. Table 10 shows some of the classes of chemicals of concern in M/

RSLs that could be reduced by waterless processing.

CHEMICAL CLASSES USE WHERE USED IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Alkyl phenol ethoxylates Cleaners and detergents Mills

AminesAuxiliaries including surfactants, dispersants, softeners

Across the supply chain

Azo-dyes (Aryl-amine releasers) Dyes Dye houses

Chromium Mordant for mordant dyes used for dark shades of wool Dye houses

Formaldehyde and other short-chain aldehydes Wrinkle-free coatings Fabric finishing

Hypochlorite Bleaching Dye houses, denim finishing

Mercury/caustic sodaFound as contamination in caustic soda (NaOH) used in water-based processes

Across supply chain

Per- and poly-fluorinated compounds Durable water repellant and stain resistant finishing Fabric finishing

Quaternary ammonium compounds Disinfectants, cleaners, antimicrobial treatment Across supply chain

Sensitizing disperse dyes (ZDHC for subset of known sensitizers, or GHS codes H317, H334, R43, R42)

Dyes used with synthetic fibers including polyester, acetate, polyamide

Dye houses

TABLE 10

Classes of Chemicals of Concern that Could Be Reduced by Moving to Waterless ProcessingSource: Safer Made 2018.

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TABLE 9

Examples of Innovative Companies Working on Safer Finishing Chemistries and Bio-based DyesSource: Safer Made 2018.

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Wet-Green Leather tanning chemicals derived from olives wet-green.com

Life Materials Antimicrobial finishing based on peppermint oil life-materials.com

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 43

Within the Waterless Processing Innovation Area we distinguish two sub-areas: Waterless

Dyeing and Waterless Finishing.

Waterless Dyeing

Dyeing fabric is one of the most water-intensive steps in the production of textiles, and

many innovations in waterless textile processing aim to reduce or eliminate water use

from the dyeing process.

Existing manufacturers like Thies,52 Benninger,53 Fong’s,54 Suntex55 and others have

developed dyeing equipment optimized to reduce water use by more efficiently

circulating the fluids and controlling or increasing the dyestuff-to-water ratios. These

approaches save water, but don’t change the underlying chemistry.

Another way to reduce the amount of water used during the dyeing process is chemically

modifying the fibers so the dyestuff binds better. One of the approaches is the cationization

of cotton, which means treating the cotton fibers, yarn or fabric with a caustic amination

agent. The treated cotton has a positively charged surface that binds better to dye, which

is commonly negatively charged. A company implementing this approach is ColorZen.56

Solution pigmenting or dope dyeing for synthetic fibers is another water-saving process.

In dope dyeing, the dye is added to the bulk polymer or polymer solution before it is

extruded to make synthetic filaments. This process can be used for both petroleum-

based synthetic fibers such as polyester and synthetic cellulosic fibers such as rayon.

This approach is illustrated by companies such as e.Dye and We aRe SpinDye working to

bring dope dying of polyester to wide adoption.57

Using liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide as the solvent would eliminate the need for

water and other potentially harmful chlorinated solvents, and can be relatively easily

cleaned and re-used by letting it go into gas phase and then re-compressing it. Companies

like DyeCoo58 have shown that carbon dioxide can be used instead of water for the dying

of synthetic yarns and fabrics.

Waterless Finishing

Like dyeing, the application of finishing chemicals often relies on using water as the solvent, and

often uses similar equipment. Companies like APJet or MTI-X have developed alternative ways to

52 thiestextilmaschinen.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)53 benningergroup.com/en/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)54 fongs.eu/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)55 suntextextiles.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)56 colorzen.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)57 e.dye: e-dye.com/ and We aRe SpinDye: spindye.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)58 dyecoo.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 44

apply chemistry to textiles without using water.59 They both rely on the generation of atmospheric

plasma near the surface of fabric to bond finishing chemicals. Plasma coating has been used in the

electronics industry for many years, and is being explored for use in textile finishing.

In another approach, Green Theme International60 is developing a new waterless finishing

platform that uses a pressure vessel to bind its chemistry to fibers. Table 11 includes

examples of companies working on waterless dyeing and finishing technologies.

Innovation Area #4: Fiber Recycling

Recycling fiber has the potential to save the chemicals, energy and water expended

to create the virgin fibers, as well as to reduce the amount of textiles in landfills and

incinerators. Consumers respond positively to the recycling message. Advocacy groups

focused on the circular economy are asking brands to look for fiber recycling solutions.

As a result, leading brands are looking for ways to source more materials from recycled

products, collecting used apparel for recycling at stores, and telling their customers

about the sustainability benefits of recycled materials.

Within the Fiber Recycling Innovation Area we distinguish four sub-areas: Recycled

Cotton, Recycled Polyester, Recycled Nylon and Recycled Blends.

59 APJet: apjet.com/ and MTI-X: mti-x.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)60 greenthemeint.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

COMPANY NAME PRODUCT/TECHNOLOGY TEXTILE PROCESS WEBSITE

APJetAtmospherically stable plasma for chemical deposition

Fabric finishing apjet.com

Applied Separations Super critical CO2 technology Dyeing appliedseparations.com

ColorZenEfficient and safe cationization of cotton

Dyeing colorzen.com

DyeCooSuper critical CO2 for dyeing synthetics

Dyeing dyecoo.com

eDye Dope dyeing of polyester Dyeing e-dye.com

Green Theme International

Waterless chemistry platform providing high performance durable water repellency

Finishing/dyeing greenthemeint.com

MTI-XPlasma processing for textile dyeing and finishing

Finishing/dyeing mti-x.com

SpinDyeDope dyeing processes using recycled polyester

Dyeing spindye.com

XerosPolymer bead-based cleaning system that eliminates water use and microfiber pollution in commercial laundry

Finishing/dyeing xeroscleaning.com

TABLE 11

Examples of Innovative Companies Working on Waterless Dyeing and FinishingSource: Safer Made 2018.

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Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 45

Recycled Cotton

Mechanical technologies for recycling cotton shorten the fiber length, which means

that the resulting yarns and fabrics are weaker than virgin cotton. Mills try to address

this drawback by blending these shorter recycled fibers with longer virgin cotton

and/or polyester filament to improve strength and durability. For example, Recover61

manufactures recycled cotton and polyester blends t-shirts. Natural Fiber Welding62 uses

a chemical process to increase the strength of recycled yarns.

An alternative to mechanical recycling is the chemical recycling of cotton. Several

companies including Evrnu, Re:newcell, The Infinited Fiber Co, and Lenzing have piloted

cotton recycling programs that take cotton waste and use proprietary solvents to make

regenerated cellulose yarns.63 Many of these technologies work only on cotton and

cannot process fabrics that also have polyester in them, which limits their applicability

given how ubiquitous polyester fibers and blends are. A technology that could separate

residual polyester and make a high quality recycled cotton yarn close in performance and

feel to virgin cotton would be valuable.

Recycled Polyester

Polyester fibers made from recycled polyester terephthalate (PET) bottles are available

from various suppliers including Unifi (REPREVE), Far Eastern (TOPGREEN), RadiciGroup

(r-RADYARN) and Teijin (Eco-Circle/Chemical, ECOPET/Mechanical). According to the

2017 Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber Market Report, the use of recycled PET in apparel

grew by 58% between 2015 and 2016.64

Reclaiming polyester fiber from apparel and turning it back into fiber for the textile

industry is rarely done, because chemically recycled polyester is more expensive than

virgin fiber. As the market for high quality polyester fiber continues to grow, we expect

more companies to explore chemical recycling approaches. For example, French company

Carbios65 is developing a new enzyme-based polyester recycling technology that may

“upcycle” textile fibers back into virgin-quality polyester.

Recycled Nylon

Nylon can be chemically recycled into high quality fibers cost effectively. Nylon is recycled

through chemical de-polymerization to yield a solution of monomers that are purified

61 recoverbrands.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)62 naturalfiberwelding.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)63 Evrnu: evrnu.com/; Re:newcell: renewcell.com/; Infinited Fiber: infinitedfiber.com/; Lenzing: lenzing.com/en/products/tencel-tm/

(retrieved 4/11/2018)64 Textile Exchange, (2017) “Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2017” Published online at: textileexchange.org/2017-market-

reports/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)65 carbios.fr/en/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 46

and re-polymerized to produce a virgin-like material. Recycled nylon can be produced

for less than what it costs to make virgin polymer. A significant percentage of nylon from

fishing lines, fishing nets and carpets is currently recycled. Unfortunately, there are no

easy ways to separate nylon from other materials in blended materials, which means that

much of the nylon that is used in apparel is not recycled.

Recycling Fiber Blends

Recycling of textiles made from a blend of different materials is challenging and can be

expensive. There are two main methods for recycling fibers: mechanical and chemical.

Currently the only widely available option for recycling blended fabrics uses mechanical

methods to shred the fabric. The resulting “shoddy” or “flock” is used in low-value

applications including building insulation and nonwoven fabrics.

Ongoing research into chemical methods for recycling blended fabrics focuses on finding

ways to eliminate residual polyester from cotton and polyester blends, for textiles in

which most of the fiber is cotton. Ionic liquids or other solvents are used to dissolve

the fabric, and then phase transfer agents and other separation methods are used to

separate the polyester from the dissolved cellulose. The cellulose can then be extruded

and spun into a new synthetic cellulose-based material. If the polyester is pure enough,

the same method can be applied to polyester taken from the blended textile. However,

the polyester portion of the fiber often has dyes and other contaminants, making it

difficult to recycle. Table 12 shows examples of innovative companies active in the Fiber

Recycling Innovation Area.

NAME INPUT PRODUCT SUMMARY WEBSITE

Evrnu Cotton Cellulosic fiberRecycling post-consumer and post-industrial cotton garments into new fibers

evrnu.com

Re:newcell Cotton Celluloic fiberRecycling post-consumer and post-industrial cotton garments into new fibers

renewcell.com

The Infinited Fiber Co. Cotton Cellulosic fiber Cotton fiber recycling infinitedfiber.com

Recover Cut-sew wasteCotton/poly blend t-shirts

Recycling cut-sew waste into sustainable t-shirts

recoverbrands.com

Martex Fiber Mixed cotton/poly Shoddy and insulationComplete downstream recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste

martexfiber.com

Phoenix Fibers Mixed cotton/poly Shoddy and insulation

Closed-loop textile recycling for insulating materials

phxfibers.com

Leigh Fibers Mixed industrialMixed fiber and products

Fiber recycling leighfibers.com

TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 47

Innovation Area #5: Information Systems that Support Supply Chain and Chemicals Management

The final Innovation Area concerns information and traceability. Understanding and

managing how chemicals and materials are used through the textile and apparel supply

chain is critical. The textile apparel supply chain—and the chemical inputs used at all

stages of the process—is multi-layered and complex. We need increased visibility into

the supply chain if we want to advance safer chemistry. Information needs to be reliable,

accurate and accessible in order to be actionable.

Bureo Nylon fishing nets Nylon equipmentFishnet recycling into skateboards, sunglasses and other accessories and equipment

bureo.co

Seaqual Ocean plastic PolyesterRecycling plastic collected from marine environments

seaqual.com

Repreve Plastic waste Polyester fiberPost-industrial waste, used plastic bottles recycling, fiber production

repreve.com

FENC Polyester Polyester fiber Recycled post-consumer polyester fenc.com/?lang=en

Stein Fibers, Ltd. Polyester Polyester fiber Recycled polyester steinfibers.com

Thread Polyester Polyester fiberRecycled PET fiber and garment productions

threadinternational.com

Worn AgainPost-consumer fabric

Polyester fiber and cellulose

Chemical recycling of mixed cotton poly blends

wornagain.info

Cordura Recycled polyester Polyester fiber Recycled polyester yarns cordura.com

Polylana Recycled polyester Polyester fibersLow impact alternative to 100% acrylic and wool

polylana-yarn.com

Agraloop Bio-Refinery Crop waste Natural fibers

Crop waste management and processing for fiber production

circular-systems.com

The Renewal Workshop Apparel Refurbished apparel

Partner with Brands to refurbish and resale returned clothing

renewalworkshop.com/en/home

Tyton BioSciences

Cotton and polyester blends

Dissolved pulp

Recycling post-consumer and post-industrial cotton and polyester into dissolved pulp that can be used to make new fibers

tytonbio.com

TABLE 12

Examples of Innovative Companies Working on Fiber RecyclingSource: Safer Made 2018.

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AmbercyclePost-consumer fabric

Polyester fiberProcess for recycling and extruding a polyester-like fiber from garment waste

ambercycleinc.com

BioCellection Mixed waste Polyester fiber Municipal waste recycled to fiber biocellection.com

Aquafil Nylon fishing nets Nylon fiberRecycling abandoned fishing nets into nylon fibers (Econyl)

aquafil.com

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 48

Many brands are actively working to increase the transparency of their supply chain

and improve access to relevant information. They are doing this to improve supply

chain management, and to communicate better with consumers, governments and the

advocacy community.

Within the Supply Chain Management Information Systems Innovation Area we distinguish

two sub-areas: Chemicals Management Systems, and Traceability Systems.

Chemicals Management Information Systems

Chemicals Management Information Systems are software tools and supporting

consulting and verification services that allow brands to make their M/RSLs operational,

and to monitor compliance within their supply chain. There are several companies

working in this space, not necessarily limited to textile and apparel, including Stacks Data

(formerly known as PeerAspect), Scivera and ToxNot.66 An apparel-specific provider is

BlueSign, a supply-chain verification service that offers on-the-ground mill verification

and oversight.67

These tools are supported by the work done by numerous industry associations

and nonprofits who monitor and publish M/RSLs, as well as databases of emerging

chemicals of concern. Groups like ZDHC and AFIRM maintain reference M/RSLs for both

manufacturing and final products respectively, and work closely with other stakeholders

to keep these current. Other nonprofit organizations such as ChemSec (SIN-list) and

Healthy Building Network (Pharos, Portico and Chemical Hazard Commons) maintain

databases of chemicals of concern across industries that also support the development

of apparel M/RSLs.68

Traceability Systems

Increasing the traceability of apparel, textiles, materials and chemicals and gaining insight

into production processes used are goals for many brands and retailers. Standards and

certifications for tracking materials already exist. For example, there are standards for

traceable wool and down, as well as broader supply chain standards put forth by the

Better Cotton Initiative,69 Bluesign,70 Cradle to Cradle,71 Naturtextil72 and Oeko-Tex.73

However, implementation is usually expensive and organizations often fail to capture

additional information about the processing.

66 Stacks Data: welcome.stacksdata.com; Scivera: scivera.com/; and ToxNot: toxnot.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)67 bluesign.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)68 SinList: sinlist.chemsec.org/ and Healthy Building Network: healthybuilding.net/ (retrieved 2018)69 bettercotton.org/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)70 www.bluesign.com/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)71 www.c2ccertified.org/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)72 naturtextil.de/en/home/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)71 www.oeko-tex.com (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 49

Technologies such as DNA or RFID tagging may address some of the traceability challenges

in ways that would also provide transparency. Several companies are currently trying to

apply the open-ledger blockchain concept to trace items and provide information to

consumers. These initiatives are in early stages within the textile industry, but given the

cross-sector applications and the textile and apparel sector interest, it is likely that this will

be an active innovation area. Table 13 includes examples of companies and organizations

that work on developing supply chain management information systems.

COMPANY TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE

A Transparent CompanyBlockchain for tracking garment production and consumer transparency

atransparentcompany.com

Applied DNA Sciences DNA tag system for cotton traceability adnas.com

ChemSec Market PlaceNonprofit platform for safer chemicals spanning multiple industries

marketplace.chemsec.org

Eon ID RFID-powered textile recycling eonid.co

I:Co Data collection infrastructure for apparel ico-spirit.com

Stacks Data (f.k.a. PeerAspect)Supply chain information technology system

welcome.stacksdata.com

EcoVadisSupplier sustainability rating and information management tool

ecovadis.com/us

SciveraChemical management and selection software

scivera.com

ToxNot Chemical hazard database toxnot.com

ZDHC GatewayMarketplace for identifying safer chemicals

roadmaptozero.com/gateway

TABLE 13

Examples of Organizations Working on Supply Chain Management Information SystemsSource: Safer Made 2018.

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SECTION 4

Accelerating the Adoption of Safer Chemistry Innovation

p. 50

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 51

Accelerating Safer Chemistry Innovation

One of our goals with this report is to share information about the safer chemistry

opportunity in textile and apparel, so both sector “insiders”—brands, retailers, chemicals

and equipment suppliers, mills—and those outside the sector, such as innovators,

investors, governments and the advocacy and philanthropic community, can have

impactful conversations, leading to partnerships and resource decisions.

Demand for safer and more sustainable products continues to grow, driving the

opportunity to bring better chemistry to market. Brands and retailers are on the expansion

frontier of this demand, being key mediators between consumer demand and supply.

Brands both react to and influence consumer preferences for products that are safer and

more sustainable. In turn, brands and retailers demand safer products and manufacturing

processes from their own suppliers.

Established chemical suppliers have optimized their processes and product offerings

to provide large quantities of chemicals quickly and at relatively low costs. They have

specialized knowledge and capabilities on particular chemistries and processes, and

know how to scale up new technologies. They see the trend toward safer and more

sustainable products and are looking to address the needs of brands and retailers.

“Innovation is an opportunity for the sector to demonstrate safety and sustainability.”

Existing suppliers can also collaborate with and sometimes invest in young innovative

companies. Once young companies validate their technology and the demand for it, existing

suppliers can use their scale, resources and experience to bring them to the market.

Innovative young companies are often more likely than established ones to develop

technologies and materials that depart from the current manufacturing processes and

materials. For example, as mentioned in Section 3, chemistry is applied to fabrics using

mostly water-based processes. Established suppliers of both formulations and equipment

prefer to work on improving the performance of their current technology, and are unlikely

to pursue a fundamental redesign because their expertise and market position lies with

the existing process. This leaves innovative young companies with more flexibility to

develop waterless dyeing and finishing processes.

Developing systemic innovation is an opportunity for the sector to demonstrate safety and

sustainability, as well as push for performance; quite often the new materials, chemistries

and processes also translate into new performance characteristics.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 52

In this section, we review the available tools and strategies for accelerating the adoption

of safer technology in the textile apparel sector including: (1) adopting M/RSL’s and

managing the supply chain; (2) implementing safer chemistry tools at the design

phase; and (3) participating in the innovation ecosystem by partnering with innovative

companies, engaging with accelerators and incubators, and investing.

M/RSLs and Supply Chain Management

We described M/RSLs and their key role as the main tool for chemicals management across

the supply chain in Section 2. They can also be viewed as key accelerators for innovation.

Many brands and retailers have spent considerable resources to understand what chemicals

and materials are present in their products, or have been used to manufacture them. Brands

and retailers that adopt chemicals policies often also have internal teams dedicated to

working with their suppliers on implementing transparency and chemicals policies.

Transparency initiatives, adopting M/RSLs and working with the supply chain partners to

implement them are established chemicals management strategies that contribute to shifting the

industry to safer chemistry. Organizations like the ZDHC group have been accelerating this work

by partnering brands and suppliers to scale safer alternatives to the chemicals found on their M/

RSLs. ZDHC has worked with brands to identify and test alternatives to chemicals like DMF and

denim finishing chemicals that are now being adopted by leading brands. These efforts have

been successful and helped the industry use safer ingredients in many areas where solutions are

available, and are gaining momentum as more brands and supply chain partners get involved.

Table 14 shows key industry groups and standards programs that help brands and retailers

develop and implement chemical management systems.

COMPANY STANDARDS PROGRAMS

Afirm GroupIs an industry association focused on the global management and communication of restricted substances in apparel and footwear.

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2C)

Their Fashion Positive Program works with textile and apparel companies to identify C2C-approved suppliers, and is currently working to develop a “library” of C2C approved materials for designers.

Oeko-TexIs an independent testing and certification system for textile products from all stages of the textile supply chain. OekoTex has three standards: OekoTex 100 is a product standard; SteP is a manufacturing standard; and Eco-Passport is a chemical standard.

Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Working Group

Is convener of outdoor brands who manage and inform the adoption of standards, including a close collaboration with SAC and the Higg Index.

Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC)

Manages the Higg Index, a suite of self-assessment tools for measuring environmental and social sustainability throughout the supply chain. The Higg Index is now used by more than 150 companies, representing a conservative 40% of the apparel and footwear market.

Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) | WRAP UK

Manages a voluntary industry program in the UK to reduce the water, carbon and waste impacts of the textile and apparel sectors.

TABLE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE…

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 53

Implementing Safer Chemistry Tools at the Design Phase

Proactive design and preferred chemistry screening approaches intend to promote best-

in-class chemistry, instead of focusing on the problem chemistry found in M/RSLs. Brands

can drive chemical selection and design based on preferred chemistries that complement

M/RSLs. In turn, this evolution in chemicals management drives the adoption of preferred

materials by designers who are focused on creating clothes people want to wear, rather

than monitoring M/RSLs.

Two examples of preferred materials programs are the Materials Wise program from

Cradle to Cradle, and the Screened Chemistry program at Levi Strauss.

The Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute74 is a nonprofit organization that promotes

the use of circular design and safer materials through their C2C product certification

and label, as well as industry-specific initiatives. Within the apparel sector, C2C’s Fashion

Positive program helps brands identify and certify preferred input materials. The goal of

the Fashion Positive program is to aggregate resources and demand, and make certified

materials easier to identify in order to accelerate the adoption of safer materials. The C2C

Innovation Institute helps designers avoid chemicals of concern by using an automated

screening tool for M/RSL compliance called MaterialWise—a program intended to make

it easier for designers and product managers to screen for chemicals of concern early

in the design process. The Fashion Positive Materials Collection consists of a collection

TABLE 14

Industry Groups and Standards ProgramsSource: Safer Made 2018.

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Sweden Textile Water initiativeProduces reports and documents best practices to help leather and textile companies and factories reduce water, energy and chemical use in their supply chains.

Textile Exchange

Is a global nonprofit that works with members to drive industry transformation in preferred fibers, integrity and standards, and responsible supply chain practices. They manage organic cotton standards; lead standard development for other fibers like down and wool; and play a hub role with its annual international Textile Sustainability Conference.

The bluesign® systemIs a mill-focused certification system for sustainably-produced textiles, which works with mills and chemical suppliers to certify that all raw materials and substances applied meet sustainability criteria. Bluesign also offers a consumer-facing label.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

Is a textile processing standard and associated certification for organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria.

The GreenScreenIs a chemical hazard assessment tool used by brands and retailers across a number of industry sectors.

The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC)

Takes a holistic approach to tackling the issue of hazardous chemicals in the global textile, leather and footwear value chain. The ZDHC M/RSL is among the most widely used list of restricted chemicals.

74 c2ccertified.org/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 54

of C2C-certified input materials or garments. Once expanded, this collection of certified

materials could help brands bring certified apparel to market by using certified inputs.

Levi Strauss’ Screened Chemistry Program75 is part of Levi Strauss’ larger set of chemicals

management strategies that aim to achieve the company’s goal of zero hazardous chemicals

discharges. The four components of the Chemical Management System at Levi Strauss

are: (1) Restricted Substance List; (2) Manufacturing Restricted Substance List; (3) Global

Effluent76 Requirements; and (4) the Screened Chemistry Program. The first three parts are

similar to other apparel brands. Levi Strauss developed the fourth part, Screened Chemistry,

in an effort to eliminate the need for various regulatory compliance and restricted substance

lists. This idea is summarized by Bart Sights, who manages Levi Strauss’ innovation lab:

“We’re looking at the chemicals that we might use

before we ever use them to make sure that they’re

safe and best-in-class, removing harmful chemicals,

or finding better alternatives. The long-term vision

is that Screened Chemistry can preempt the other

parts of the Chemical Management System such as

the M/RSL.”77

Levi Strauss’ Screen Chemistry program has been

successful by offering partnership incentives to

chemical suppliers that participate. The company

paid for numerous chemical screens upfront to

encourage participation. By working with suppliers

to share costs and build sustainable models, by

2015, 12 suppliers participated in the program. Early

adopters were Garmon, Switzerland-based Beyond

Surface Technologies (BST), German company

CHT, and Singapore-based Dystar. At least some of

the supply chain partners have also seen benefits

to their own businesses. For example, Garmon

launched a line of GreenScreen® certified chemicals

in 2015.

The Screened Chemistry approach has also

benefited Levi Strauss’ innovation development.

The company identified denim finishing and the

use of potassium permanganate bleaching agents

as areas to find safer chemistry. Levi Strauss started

75 levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/tag/screened-chemistry/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)76 Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a municipal treatment system or body of water77 Quote and information about Levi’s Screened Chemistry Program taken from: Robert Strand and Martin Mulvihill (2016) “Levi Strauss

& Co.:Driving Adoption of Green Chemistry” Berkeley Haas Case Series, July 15, 2016. levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/UC-Berkeley_Haas-Case-Study_Driving-Adoption-of-Green-Chemistry.pdf (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Working with suppliers and innovation partners

to create the first 100% organic cotton tee-shirt

that can be safely composted at home.

C&A, a European clothing retailer, decided to

make the first mass-market tee-shirt from 100%

cotton that would be cradle to cradle gold

certified. This would mean they would need to

use the safest chemistry and create a product

that would breakdown in a compost bin without

leaving behind harmful dyes or persistent plastics.

Creating better apparel demands high

attention to detail. C&A had to develop a new

thread and care tags which are often made

from polyester or nylon. Most cotton thread is

also made by wrapping cotton fibers around

a synthetic polymer core which provides

strength and durability.

C&A worked closely with the team at Cradle

to Cradle to identify materials and suppliers

that could meet the C2C gold standard. C&A

ended up working with Pratibha Syntex, a Fair

Trade–certified factory, and Cotton Blossom, a

green-powered facility, both in India.

By working closely with both certifiers and

suppliers, C&A was able to produce a mass-

market 100% cotton tee-shirt using safer

chemistry, made in responsible factories, at a

competitive cost.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 55

experimenting with laser systems made by Spanish firm Jeanologia78 as an alternative to

traditional chemical bleaches. Working together, they optimized the laser system to work

with washed garments resulting in a new, more responsive, more sustainable workflow

currently being scaled in partner factories. This new approach to denim finishing has cut

down the chemicals needed for finishing from thousands to tens.

Participating in the Innovation Ecosystem

Brands and retailers can participate in the innovation ecosystem by partnering with

innovative companies to jointly develop and scale safer chemistry and materials; engaging

with accelerators and incubators; and investing in innovative companies or early stage

venture funds.

Active partnerships—between brands and retailers on one

side and young innovative companies on the other—have

the potential to bring new products or technologies to

market that have both new performance and the potential

for radical changes to the textile apparel sector.

To manage relationships with young companies, brands and

retailers often create internal teams that combine different

business and technical expertise, allowing them to evaluate

new materials and technologies. These teams also sometimes

act as concierges for the young innovative companies,

connecting them to other relevant internal teams.

Engaging with innovative companies allows brands to stay up-

to-date with innovation developments and provides valuable

feedback to the innovators and entrepreneurs. Once innovations

reach certain levels of technical and business validation, brands

and innovators may enter joint development relationships. This

allows brands to develop a deeper, hands-on understanding

of a technology and can lead to purchase orders and/or more

advanced collaboration.

Active partnering with innovative companies can also signal demand for innovation to

other parties such as investors or existing suppliers, and can also provide startups with key

technical and business insights that may help them further develop their new technologies.

When working with young companies, it is critical to create relationships that are mutually

beneficial and to recognize the limitations created by differences in scale and resources.

78 jeanologia.com/aboutjeanologia/ (retrieved 4/11/2018)

Good Practices in Setting Up Partnerships Between Brands and Innovative Young Companies.

• Start small and build. Starting with a smaller demonstration project helps validate the technology and demand, to help gain traction within other parts of the organization.

• Create a roadmap for what the relationship will look like after milestones are met.

• Establish a single point of contact the within the brand.

• Choose projects that excite designers and customers.

• Engage outside funders and share details with outside investors.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 56

The collaboration between Marmot Mountain Works (Marmot) and Green Theme International

(GTI) is a good example of an early-stage partnership between an established brand and

a young innovative company. GTI is commercializing a waterless durable water repellency

finishing technology that does not use fluorinated chemistry and is more durable than the

existing fluorinated chemistry, while providing comparable or better performance. Marmot

saw the potential for GTI’s chemistry to improve the sustainability and performance of their

rain jackets. The initial pilot project between Marmot and GTI used GTI’s waterless finishing

process for a few of Marmot’s rain jackets (Phoenix, Eclipse and Celeste). These jackets were

launched in January 2018 in outdoor retailer REI and on Marmot’s website. If the pilot project

is successful, Marmot may expand the number of garments that use GTI’s technology.

Patagonia is a recognized sustainability leader in the outdoor apparel and equipment sector,

and has been adopting safer chemistry and more sustainable materials. Patagonia does

this by using all the strategies described: transparency, M/RSLs, supply chain management,

design phase screening, partnering, and engaging with the innovation ecosystem.

Patagonia has the unique ability to partner with emerging technology companies throughout

their growth and development by leveraging investment capital through Tin Shed Ventures,

Patagonia’s venture arm. Patagonia’s materials innovation team also works directly with

innovative companies to develop safer chemistry solutions and form supply chain partnerships.

One example of a young innovative company partnered with Patagonia is Bureo, that

turns recovered fishing nets into equipment like skateboards and sunglasses. Patagonia’s

Tin Shed Ventures made an equity investment in Bureo, and Patagonia also helped them

validate supply chain impacts. Bureo products are now in Patagonia stores.

Another example is Beyond Surface Technologies, a textile finishing supplier that uses

bio-based chemicals in all their formulations for durable water repellants, wicking agents,

quick-dry coatings and softeners. Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures invested in Beyond Surface

technologies, and the new chemistries are currently being piloted in Patagonia’s apparel.

Accelerators, incubators and early-stage investment funds like Safer Made79 provide

platforms and structures for young companies to share information about their new

technologies and products, as well as opportunities for brands to keep up-to-date with

new technologies and to share their innovation priorities. This two-way collaboration

can guide the development of new technologies to make them more compatible with

industry needs, and accelerate their deployment. Table 15 (next page) shows examples of

accelerators, incubators and investment funds relevant to the textile and apparel sector.

79 www.safermade.net/

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 57

Fashion for Good (fashionforgood.com) stands out within the textile and apparel innovation

ecosystem as an evolved innovation platform that includes an Accelerator program run in

collaboration with Plug and Play, a Scaling Programme that supports young companies

past the proof-of-concept phase, and an investment fund called the Good Fashion Fund.

Innovative companies that participate in the Fashion for Good programs receive support in

the form of mentorship, training, exposure to brands and retailers, and potentially funding.

Brands, retailers and suppliers that participate in Fashion for Good come together around an

innovation agenda for the sector and get exposure to the latest technologies and innovation.

Fashion for Good operates from its hub in the heart of Amsterdam, hub that also houses

a co-working space bringing organizations like Sustainable Apparel Coalition,80 ZDHC81

and IDH82 under one roof, and also an exhibition open to public. Fashion for Good hosts

regular events that convene leading brands, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organizations,

innovators and funders working together to change the way we make, use, and dispose

of our clothes, for good.

TABLE 15 Accelerators, Incubators, and Investment Funds Active in the Textile and Apparel SectorSource: Safer Made 2018.

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COMPANY ACCELERATORS, INCUBATORS AND INVESTMENT FUNDS

Alante Capital Venture capital fund focused on sustainable apparel.

Eureka Innovation LabLevi Strauss’ testing and development facility that pilots sustainable technologies and supports entrepreneurs through their Collaboratory program.

Fashion for GoodFashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organizations, innovators and funders in a global platform for innovation.

Future Tech Labs Fashion innovation platform with staff in Russia, Europe and the U.S.

Green Chemistry and Commerce Council

Nonprofit organization that drives the commercial adoption of green chemistry across different industries.

Hydra VenturesThe corporate venturing arm of Adidas supporting technology that can improve product performance, customer experience and sustainability for Adidas products.

New York Fashion Tech Labs

Nonprofit program co-founded by Springboard Enterprises and fashion retailers to support women-led companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail and technology.

Safer MadeVenture capital fund that invests in teams that bring safer products and technologies to market (and the authors of this report).

The H&M Global Challenge Award Accelerator program to promote circular innovation in the textile and apparel sector.

Tin Shed VenturesPatagonia’s investment arm supporting companies and projects that improve the environmental performance in the outdoor apparel and equipment space.

80 apparelcoalition.org (retrieved 5/16/2018)81 roadmaptozero.com (retrieved 5/16/2018)82 idhsustainabletrade.com (retrieved 5/16/2018)

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 58

SECTION 5

Conclusions

p. 58

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 59

Conclusions

Our goal with this report is to help demystify the challenges and find the right language

to facilitate conversations about textile and apparel safer chemistry innovation. We try

to bridge the gap between sustainability in a broad sense and the detailed technical

challenges related to chemistry in the textile and apparel industry.

Increasing consumer awareness, pressure from advocacy groups and the development of

M/RSLs provide brands and their suppliers with motivation and tools to remove harmful

chemicals from products and production processes.

M/RSLs are now established tools that chemicals policy brands and retailers use in their

work with suppliers, to remove or reduce the use of chemicals of concern. Apart from

being supply chain management tools, M/RSLs are also innovation tools by providing the

starting point for safer chemistry innovation.

We believe that the best way to eliminate hazardous chemicals is to focus on developing new chemistry and materials that provide superior performance without relying on hazardous chemistry.

When searching for innovation to address safer chemistry challenges, we believe in focusing

on the function delivered by chemicals of concern and seeking safer ways to deliver that

function, rather than trying to find specific substitutes for chemicals of concern.

We believe that the best way to eliminate hazardous chemicals is to focus on developing

new chemistry and materials that provide superior performance without relying on

hazardous chemistry.

By connecting functional aspects to the universe of potential solutions we defined five

Innovation Areas: New Materials, New Safer Chemistries, Waterless Processing, Fiber Recycling

and Supply Chain Information Management Tools, each with several Innovation Sub-areas.

Within each Innovation Area we highlighted work by both startups and established

suppliers to bring safer chemistry and materials to market. The innovation activity will

continue to grow and change with the needs of the textile and apparel sector.

Safer Chemistry Innovation in the Textile and Apparel Industry p. 60

We encourage brands and supply chain partners to get involved with one or more of the

initiatives highlighted in this report including Fashion for Good and ZDHC group that

seek to help scale safer chemistry in the textile, apparel and footwear sectors through

collaboration.

Bringing new safer technologies to market within the textile and apparel industry takes

both collaboration and capital. We are grateful to all the brands, entrepreneurs and supply

chain partners who spoke to us about their work and who continue to share insights and

connections to interesting new companies. We look forward to continuing the conversations,

and invite anyone interested in supporting companies developing the next generation of

safer chemistry and materials to contact us: safermade.net/contact-us.